What Is This Flower?

(Do you know the name of this flower? The photo is from this blog, it's in a foreign language and Google translate is not functioning at the moment.)

Though all systems are not quite a go just yet, I am ready to start shopping for the project I have been planning for my moms Mother's Day gift. It is going to be a challenge that is going to take lots of time and preparation. 

I'm a little delayed at the moment, I'm  doing this on a very and I mean very tiny budget. We're talkin' like no more than $10.00 possibly less. Let's just say I've got my work cut out for me.

I will tell you more about the project and how I plan to pay for it all, later.

For now, I was hoping someone reading this, might have a lot of knowledge about flowers and their names, because honestly, I am clueless.

Flowers are going to be one of the essentials for the project and I'm trying to figure out what these are. Anybody know what the flower in the intro photo is?

I know these are Calla Lily's and I think they are so beautiful. I have kitties though and have heard that Lily's are poisonous and will kill cat's so they are not an option, if that's the case. This photo was pinned from Pacific Callas.

The only reason I know the name is because the person who pinned them, provided it in the description.

I also love these Orchids! Is there a specific name for them? And, do you know if they are poisonous for kitties? Wanna keep the little critters safe! 

Other suggestions?

The color of my moms walls I think is sea foam, it's somewhat of a pastel greenish/blueish hue. I'd say more green than blue. Sorry I do not have a picture at the moment, so you'll just have to use your imagination. 

Do you have any suggestions as far as some other flowers I should consider?

She is contemplating re-painting them in a different hue, but has not made up her mind about what color she wants to do it in. She has expressed wanting to do it in a beachy theme. She loves pastels.

The sea foam or whatever color it is, is what I have to work with for now. 

I think it can work with a lot of colors- reds, pinks, oranges, yellow and white flowers would be ideal. I think coral goes great with sea foam and would be a good beach color. 

I was going to use the flowers to brighten it up more. At the moment it is a little drab.

I know flowers can be expensive, so it would be awesome if you could come up with any that are 

lovely yet budget friendly. However, even if they are not budget friendly, I can at least get some inspiration from whatever is suggested*

Mrs. Olson's  Lovely Front Porch

Because I have not yet become an official crafter and haven't done any of my own projects, I don't get to sit at the "cool kids" table. 


What I mean is, I can't party with the other crafty folks who attend all those artsy craftsy Meme's or linky parties. I'm not bitter, just a little envious, they seem like such a good time and I so would love to partake.


I suppose I'm just going to have to hurry up and get to work on a project and hope like H-E- double hockey sticks it turns out good enough, so I can join in on the fun.


Sarah from one of my latest favorites, Alderberry Hill who hosts Make The Scene Monday, is such a sweetheart for allowing me to join her party, even though I'm only just a  wannabe crafter as of yet. It has truly been such a blast and I've met a lot of nice and highly skilled crafty peeps from it.


Due to not having any new posts that would be relative, I opted not to link up this week, I didn't want to feel out of place, that would be a bit awkward I think. I've still been connecting with those who participated and this morning M.T.S. lead me to Mrs. Olson's lovely front porch.


When I went to Have a Daily Cup From Mrs. Olson, I started out admiring the adorable vintage baby bathtub she decorated her deck with. And, I couldn't take my eyes off of the yellow mailbox.


Then while I was leaving my compliments, I glanced over to my right and there it was, the front porch of my dreams. So, I finished my comment and immediately headed over to get a closer look.

Oh my goodness... sooo cute!!!

Take away the furniture and the porch and the home itself, gorgeous. The vintage red glider and the yellow chairs along with the lovely accents she coupled them with give it such a warm, welcoming vibe. It's got so much personality, it's very quaint yet cheerful. It's got a nice homey appeal that I love and would want for my own dream home.

I also must commend her on her fabulous yard. I'm not sure who is responsible for their gardening, but whoever it is, did a remarkable job on both the rock garden and the one in front. I admire that gigantic rock against the brick and that birdhouse is just too cute for words.

The garden in front is so sweet, I instantly fell in love with the birdbath, the moment I laid my eyes on it.

Her home is very charming! What do you think?

I've seen so many beautiful gardens this season. People seem to be working extra hard in the yard this year. I'm wondering if Pinterest has played a part in that. I never really cared much about it until that site came into my life. I still don't have the urge to get out and dig in the dirt, not that I would be able to anyway, considering I don't have a garden to plant anything.


I just don't think I'd be too good in the garden. I hate bugs and I'm really not a fan of diggin in the dirt. I do admire people who enjoy it and the time they put into it. It seems like it would be a lot of work, but hey somebody's gotta do it right?

Do you enjoy gardening? Have you done any planting this spring? What do you have growing in your garden?

Tell me all about it in a comment or you can send pictures and info of your gardens to skylarmagazine.sarah@gmail.com and maybe I will do a special feature*

The What A Woman Wants Blog Event

The What a Woman Wants Blog Event is a free blogger event. Participants will receive 1 link at no cost as a thank you for participating in the event.

This event is open to US only and will run from May 11th through May 25th. 

You can link up the following: Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Comment, Vote (as long as it is a no sign up or like required, example Picket Fence). G+ is not allowed since it is against Google's rules.

You will receive 1 link at no cost, additional links can be purchased at $3.00.

The Referral Prize: The two bloggers who refer the most people to the event will receive a $10 Amazon e-code for their efforts. 

You can go here for more information and to join.

When you join, be sure to let them know in the form, that Skylar Magazine told you about this event*

I So Need These

(You can find this neat little blog planner at Confessions of a Homeschooler)

Major props goes to Theresa of Frugal Experiments for pinning these last night.

A blog planner is exactly what I need to help get and keep me organized. Unfortunately, my printer went kaput over a year ago, so, I can't print a dang thing. I know, bummer right?

A new printer is on my future investments list, but that won't be happening any time soon.

I'm asking around to see if any friends have printers, I'm hoping either they could print them out for me or I could stop by and print them myself. If that doesn't work, maybe I could try Staples. I'm not sure how much it would cost, but if it is reasonable it might be an option.

(via Confessions of a Homeschooler)




You can print this blog post planner and put them into a spiral notebook. Each month has it's own color scheme, the front page is a month layout. It has dates listed along the left side of the sheet, there is room for you to write the topic, the title of your blog post and the posts tags or labels. Then going down the right side of the page there are little blue and yellow boxes. The blue boxes are for you to check off if the post is a review/giveaway, and for when you have picked and emailed the winner. This would have been great to have a few months ago.


The yellow ones are the social media boxes one for Facebook, one for Twitter, one for Pinterest and one for Google +. After you have shared your posts to all of these outlets you check them off.


You can go here to download the planner and to read more about the planner and its other pages.

Or maybe I'll just buy a blog planner like this one by Between U & Me...

This is so cute and I think I would prefer this one over the previous. They would both be wonderful, but this one seems to be more detailed and has more room for you to write all of your thoughts, what your inspiration is, where all you promoted as well as follow ups, etc etc.







And I love the giveaway tracker and that has a contacts list. You can go to Between You & Me to get a closer look and more information.


Unfortunately,  this planner has sold -go figure!- and the Etsy store owner is currently on vacation. 


Either one would certainly come in handy*


Do you you have a planner for your blog? What do you do or use to stay organized? Which of the 2 planners do you like better?

Miss Chatterbox

This morning while getting caught up on my blog reading, I came to the conclusion that I am quite the chatterbox when it comes to commenting. I have a tendency to leave rather lengthy comments.


Many of the blogs I frequent are so inspiring. I'm always so amazed by the cleverness and the creativity, I can't help but express my admiration. It's just that my expressions habitually turn into blah, blah, blah, blah.

I'm sure you all know at least one person who leaves long messages on your voicemail, well that's very similar to how my comments are. 


I absolutely despise leaving voice messages! I get so nervous, I never know what to say, and then as soon as I get the beep I tend to babble on and on. I'm much better at writing messages than I am speaking them. Too bad I don't have texting.


I've left a few books on some voice mails. It's kind of pointless for them to call back, considering I basically already told them the whole story, there would be no chapters left.


The funny thing is, if you were to meet me in real life, you would be so surprised to find out that I'm not that talkative. I can be very shy and very quiet. If I'm out with friends and there are strangers present, I barely say a word. It can give people the impression that I am bored or unhappy. That's not the case though. Sometimes I just don't feel like talking.

(via Like a Butterfly)

See, I'm more of an observer. I like to look at what's going on around me and listen to the conversation. I scope people out and try to figure out what kind of people they are. I pay very close attention to facial expressions and body language. 


Other times, I just want to kick back, mellow out to the music, and just enjoy being out with the girls sometimes too, you know? 


Plus, I'm very soft spoken. I often feel ignored even though I'm really not. When I do open my mouth, people tend to talk over me and it's not because they aren't interested, they just can't hear me and sometimes it takes me a while to get to the point. Some do ignore or talk over me intentionally, some people are rude like that. If I feel that what I have to say isn't important, I'll just keep my thoughts to myself. 


When I'm in a loud environment, where I can hardly hear myself think, it's hard for me to talk over the noise and when I strain my voice, the next morning my throat is always sore. 

(via Things She Loves)

It's not that I'm always mute, I can get loud. 

If I get liquored up enough, I can talk a persons ear off and I do tend to speak a lot louder when I'm tipsy. One minute I'm Silent Sarah, then after consuming a few adult beverages I turn into Chatty Cathy. 


I keep things bottled up and Pinterest, Facebook and blogging allow me to express my thoughts and feelings. It's an easier way for me to communicate with others, they are more likely going to want to listen when I write what's on my mind. They may still ignore me, we may fight over a topic, but the cool thing is, they can't talk over me. 


It's just that when I leave a comment, I don't know how to make a long story short. I will get on a subject and go on and on about it. The word brief does not exist in my vocabulary. 


I need to remember this... 


Short, sweet and to the point when commenting, sometimes a little more if necessary. And, save the long stories for my posts.

The truth is, I love to write and when I do, I write from the heart. 

We've all gotten messages from commentators who you know are just there to get a follow back or to spam, they aren't always honest. We have also received comments that have nothing to do with the subject and that can be frustrating after you just put your heart and soul into the post. I would like to think most commentators are good, honest people though.


When I comment, I am always sincere. I'm not going to sugarcoat, I'm not going to be a booty kisser, I'm not going to give false praise. If I say I love your blouse, shoes or hair, if I tell you I think your child is adorable, or you did an awesome job on that project, please know that my words are true.

I love giving feedback, just as much as I love recieving it. We all do, that's what keeps us going, right? That's why we always ask our readers to leave us comments, we want to know how we are doing. We all know how frustrating it is when you leave a comment on a blog, but they won't even give you the time of day.


You can't expect everyone to comment back and that's not why most of us leave comments. We just know from our own experience, how much time and thought goes into this bogging stuff and how it feels to not be acknowledged. 


So, I try to comment on most of the blogs I read, to let them know I love the content and to let them know they are doing a great job.


I can't guarantee that all of my comments will be short and sweet. I guess it just depends on what I am commenting on. It's not so much the length, I think the issue is that the message isn't always clear. I'm a little more laidback about grammar and typos with commenting. 


I need to do a better job of proofreading and I need to be able to go from one subject to the other without going off topic so that it doesn't get so confusing. My comments can be kind of choppy.

Personally, I love long comments, I don't mind them at all, that's just me though*

How about you? Do you mind long comments, or would you prefer your readers keep it short and sweet?

What's Playin?

This is just a random question about Skylar's Color Inspiration playlist. I want to know what song from the playlist is playing right now at this very moment, while you are reading this post?


The last time I viewed the blog, the song I got was "Colors" by Kira Willey. I think we've all heard that song, in fact I know I've heard it on a commercial, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was for. 

Do you know what it is? I want to say it's for like Tide or some other laundry detergent*

Skylar's Top Commentator


Rebecca from....

Congratulations Rebecca!

Rebecca and I met either back in the summer or fall, I honestly can't remember because this year just flew by so quickly. Anyway, she had responded to a post, I was looking for an assistant and she wanted to help out. So, she sent me her inquiry and we've been friends ever since. She has been a tremendous help!




I was still getting use to blogging at the time, didn't really know what I was doing. I was looking for sponsors and didn't know anything about any of that stuff, but Rebecca helped get me started and got me more familiar with how it all works.




Not too long after she decided to start her own blog and it's done very well. Needless to say, she's got a lot on her plate and although, she doesn't have as much time to help me out these days, she still contributes when she can.




She has given me the best advice! She has so much knowledge. I know if there is something I need to know I can ask her and she will most likely have the answer or will at least be able to guide me to someone who will or she will send me to the right resources -she's my go-to gal in other words.


 If an opportunity comes up, she always thinks about me and emails to let me know about them. In fact, she recently recommended one of those cash giveaway blogger sponsor thingies and I signed up to do it and we now have 1,484 likes on Facebook. So, thank you Rebecca for letting me know about that!




Like I've said before on a couple of occasions, one of the best parts of this whole experience are the friends I have made. I've met some really cool people from it, people I know I will never forget and Rebecca is one of those people.




Thank you, thank you, thank you, Rebecca!
(From the bottom of my heart for everything!!!)




Be sure to check out Rebecca's blog If Only Life Could Be That Simple, it's one of my favoritist reads (yep I said favoritist and spellcheck is saying no, no, no)! It is a lot of fun and there are always awesome giveaways going on! She offers super cool prizes too, from makeup, to jewelry, bags, and all kinds of goodies. I just know you will love it!




Rebecca's Comments:

On Winning My First Giveaway...

This comment was from when I won The Smoky Mountain Minerals giveaway. I won a foundation which I use often and I love it! The only thing, one night after a few too many, I fell asleep and forgot to wash it off and I woke up the next day and my face felt like sandpaper. I felt like my cheeks were on fire and like my skin was going to peel right off my face. It's my own dang fault, what was I thinking? I know better than to do that! Anywho, if you use it properly and responsibly, it is a fabulous foundation! 


So, I was stoked, because I had never won a giveaway before, I've actually never won anything in my life, and I love makeup... so yeah I was ecstatic!


In any event, this is Rebecca congratulating me on my big win...


 "Congrats, again!!!" 


(I know short but sweet. She had already Instant Messaged me on Facebook and emailed me and congratulated me both times... here's the link):

If Only Life Could Be That Simple...: Winner Of The Smoky Mountain Minerals Foundation I...

This one was from the Country Bob's All Purpose Barbecue Sause, which her daughter ended up winning...

"I would love to try the Honey Habenero sauce! Their regular sauce is what I always use on my steaks. It's soooo good! I only season my steaks with Country Bobs Seasoning too. I used to work at a very popular steak house where I live, and that's how they did their steaks! http://www.countrybobs.com/honey-habanero-half-case.html"

:FYI: 


Rebecca was the winner of Skylar's very first giveaway, she won these earrings that I bought for the giveaway from Charlotte Russe....... 






This was back in October I believe, right Rebecca? She sent me some photos of her wearing them, but she was having some tech issues and wasn't able to get a clear shot of them. I would love to see what they look like on her, but she is kind of shy about having her pictures featured. I'm not sure why, because she is very pretty. That's okay though, I'd still love to see what they look like worn though.

So, Rebecca's won one of my giveaways, her daughter has also won one and I've won one of hers. Now that's pretty neat!

This was when the Rafflecopter was not functioning properly, we were all a bit frustrated over that issue...

"This must be the new Rafflecopter! I hadn't seen it until now. I couldn't get it to work when I tried to fill in a couple of blanks... I tweeted about this post here:" 

There are plenty more, but I'm going to save them for her next spotlight.

This is how the spotlights will go, it will start out with an intro and some information, could be about anything, and then I'll share some of the comments that commentator has left. 

You could be next! COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT! So you can be our number 1 commentator!

Skylar's Top 10 Commentators Of the Week

A lot of the people on this list, left their comments ages ago and since my blog is still growing, and is not that well known, I haven't gotten as many comments as a lot of my fellow bloggers. It will be cool to see what this list will look like next Friday, maybe there will be some new commentators or some of the people who tend to be more on the quiet side will start talking more.


Also, some of these girls, have blogs, but they haven't been updated in over a year so I did not include their links. However, those whose blogs are updated and are still running, have links next to their names. You should definitely check them out if you have not already.


If you do have a blog and would like me to include your link, let me know. I checked each persons profile to make sure, but the ones with links next to their names were the only ones I found. If you want yours added, please be sure to leave a comment with the name of your blog and a link so I can add it.


One more thing before I reveal the list...

Tabbie was actually in the number 2 spot, but this opportunity is for readers and followers only. Models and contributors who contribute on a regular basis are not eligable to win any prizes from reader/follower contests or giveaways. If you are an occasional contributor you may participate, however.


Models and contributors are always welcome to comment, but they just can't qualify to be in the top 10 and they can't win prizes from it. They get to participate in a lot of their own contests and are offered rewards for their hard work so I didn't think it would be fair.


So, now that I've cleared that up, here is Skylar's top 10 commentators for this week:


1. Rebecca from If Life Could Only Be That Simple- Rebecca is an occasional contributor, she has helped me out a lot with so many things. We support each others blogs as much as we can.

2. Colleen (follower)

3. Judy Haughton- James from Judy H-J's Thoughts- A Twinless Twin

4. Ai Sakura from Sakura Haruka- This is one of my favorite reads. Her blog is very entertaining, she's always on the go it seems and she's an awesome mommy. I try to keep up with her a lot.

5. Kristin (follower)

6. Briana Richardson (follower)

7. Erin from Erin -Independent Thirty-One Consultant

8. Vanessa Scott from Cooper Avenue

9. Brandi Yee from Yee Wittle Things

10. Lindsay from A Mommy's Lifestyle


Congratulations Rebecca! I will contact you here in a bit about your spotlight and hopefully I can get that posted by sometime this evening.

Thank you to all, for your support and for taking time out of your day to say hello and for all of the wonderful praise you have given to me*

Skylar's Top Commentators

If you look on our left sidebar, scroll down, between our awesome GFC and Linky Followers you will see Skylar's Top Commentators.

Currently Skylar Magazine- (that would be me) is the top commentator at 27 comments. I tried to exclude my own comments, but for some reason the widget will not let me. I don't want to be the top commentator on my own blog, I want you to be Skylar's top commentator!

At the end of each week, on Fridays, beginning today I will post our top 10 commentators for that week and our top commentator will have a spotlight featured. If that same person is our top commentator by next Friday that person will have another spotlight featured. There is no limit to how many spotlights a commentator can have. However, each spotlight will be done differently each time. 

For example:


Whoever our number 1 commentator is this week, for that persons first spotlight I'll spotlight a few of the comments he or she has left. If that same person is number 1 next week, I'll spotlight their blog, or feature a list of their favorite things, favorite movies etc, or I might do an interview spotlight.

If you are a blogger I can provide your link and/or button in your spotlight, even if the spotlight isn't about your blog.

If there is a tie, I will spotlight both or all of the commentators who are tied that day.

Then, at the end of each month, I will post a list of Skylar's top 20 commentators for that month and I will select a random winner from that list, and that lucky commentator will win a super cool prize!

I truly appreciate the feedback you have given and I love giving prizes and gifts, it's my way of showing you my appreciation. So far all of Skylar's commentators have been super nice and very helpful.

Yesterday I asked for your input regarding our new look that I am working on and I got it! I've been working so hard on it, but there are days when I get so frustrated with it and you gals were very helpful, I cannot thank you enough!

Giving away prizes and offering gifts is my way of showing my appreciation to the people who take the time out of their busy and sometimes chaotic lifestyles to read the content, say hello, give guidance, and leave their thoughts and kind words and for being so encouraging and inspiring.

I love comments, but I haven't been getting many lately. It's been kind of quiet. It's picked up a little these past few days. My pageviews dropped a bit last month, but I've noticed it's going back up.

It would mean a lot to me, if more people would leave feedback. I would love to get to know you all better and I think these spotlights might be a good way to do that. Participation is an essential part of Skylar. I want to know what kinds of things you like, what you like to do, what your talents are, what you are passionate about.

If you have any projects going on I would love to know what you are working on and how it is coming along. I love arts and crafts and would love for you to share yours with me. I truly admire the clever ideas I find every day through Pinterest and blogs, I'm inspired by what you all do.

Let me know what you pinned today, what is your pinspiration at the moment? Feel free to request a song for our color inspiration playlist, right now the songs listed are all about color, color, and more color, multiple rainbow colors and our current power color which is going to be changing Monday, the color of the moment is red.

Next Monday I will be adding songs that relate to the next power color, that next color is going to be orange, so if you think of any songs with the color orange in the title or featured anywhere in the song, let me know and I'll see if I can get it added. It doesn't necessarily have to have the word orange (I'll let you know more about this in a bit). Eventually it will have all the colors of the rainbow.

If you ever have any questions you can always ask. You can ask me anything, anytime. I always try my best to reply to all comments. Occasionally I do forget when I am multi-tasking, but I do respond most of the time.

If you take the time to visit me, comment on my posts, follow, share, Tweet, like, +1, or write an Alexa review, I will gladly do the same for you. Be sure to let me know and provide any necessary links, so I can return the favor.

Would you like to be in our top 10 next week? Possibly our number 1 commentator? You can start by leaving a comment on this post.


I would love to know...

...what your plans are for this weekend? Anything exciting happening? Are you going out of town, having a night out with the girls, or are you just going to stay home and veg -by yourself, with the hubby or significant other and the kids?- What's goin' on?

Skylar's top 10 commentators is coming up next!

Can Anybody Tell Me?

So, today I did some tidying. Things are coming along quite nicely, though it's still not 100 percent complete. I still have lots to do and lots to figure out.


Anyway, if you look to the left sidebar, under the lovely picture of Miss Sara, you will see our new social media buttons which I found at this awesome blog I just discovered -Her New Leaf. She has a lot of great tips and stuff for primping your blog, you should definitely take a look when you have a moment. 


I chose the Turquoise, because I love Turquoise. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how I can get all of the buttons next to each other so that they are side by side...



I am totally stumped!


Also, you see that hideous line going down between the buttons? I want to get rid of it, it's really bugging me, but I have absolutely no clue how to do that. I don't want to get rid of the separator line that separates the blog posts and the sidebar menus.

Some guidance would be wonderful!

Think!

Oh I just love Dr. Seuss! Such a genius!

What Do You Think About This?

via A Beatles Blog- sweet!!!

(No I'm not asking what you think about Paul McCartney. I need some suggestions, from my awesome readers and followers.)

So, I'm at it again... brainstorming as always!

It's probably my favorite thing to do. I'm trying to get inspiration for the new look and I have some ideas and I wanted to get your opinion. Seems there's a sub theme happening today -opinions, opinions, opinions-.


Anywho here's what I'm thinkin...


I know right now everything looks a bit Schizophrenic, I'm just experimenting. My goal is to make this thing look more like a magazine, because that's what Skylar is. I'm having a heck of a time figuring out how to do that. Not sure if it's doable, but I'm going to try my best... we shall see.


I really want to get the blog more organized, I need to tidy it up a bit. What I'd like to do is take all of the posts and start putting them in their proper departments. I'm just not quite sure how to do it, I'm not sure I could even if I wanted to.


If it is possible, I'd like to make different pages for all of the departments and put each post in the departments they belong to,  -all the fashion related posts, would go in fashion- -all the beauty stuff would go in beauty- know what I mean?


Then on the homepage of the blog, I would put little previews for that days posts and you would click on the link to get to the page to read that whole article. The problem is, I can't figure out how to do it so that when you click the link it goes to the articles own post so people could comment on that particular article, otherwise it would just go to the fashion page where all of the fashion related posts would be featured. Does that make sense?


Plus if people want to comment on it, it would require them to have to hit the back button and that might be a hassle.


I could try to give each post it's own page, but that would be a lot of pages and blogger only allows you to have up to twenty pages. If I gave each post it's own separate page, then I don't know if I would be able to keep everything in my archives. I don't really want to get rid of my archives.


The only way I can think to have more than 20 pages is to make an additional blog, and link those pages from this blog to that blogs pages and I'm not sure that can be done. It might be possible, but I just don't know.

Are you as confused as I am about this?

I'm sorry, I'm really having a hard time trying to explain this. It's much clearer in my head.


Anyway, if you get what I'm trying to say and you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! If not, maybe you could ask some questions and it will help me come up with a better explanation*

In My Red High Heels....

via- photobucket.com

Speaking of red high heels...

I've always wanted a pair of red heels. How about these:

Nasty Gal

Not sure I'd ever wear these, but they are kind of fun, and if you dare wear them, props to you!

Red heels are hard to find, nice ones are at least. I'm kind of picky about my footwear. I'll have

 to keep my eyes peeled for some classy red high heels. If you find any, you think I need to see, please let me know where I can find them*

Playlist Warning...you might not like it!

  

(I know interesting right? Kellie Pickler doesn't exactly fit in with Pink Floyd and Reel Big Fish does she? OH WELL!!!)

I am a big music lover!

I love pretty much all types of music from Pop, to Oldies, to Country and even cheesy boy band stuff. Rap is not particularly my favorite kind of music, but I admit there are some songs that make me want to dance. There are some fun catchy rap tunes.


I absolutely despise that hardcore rock where all they do is yell and scream! In my opinion that stuff is just as annoying as the Dixie Chicks, it's like nails on the chalkboard... seriously! If you listen to that stuff and think I'm lame for liking Kellie Pickler, you really have no room to criticize.


At least Ms Pickler's music is peppy and doesn't make you want to give someone a high five in the face with a chair. Well, maybe some people would, but she doesn't make me feel like I need anger management. In fact the little firecracker does the exact opposite, she's like a pocket full of sunshine and her music makes me smile. Even if you don't like her or think she's a little annoying, she probably doesn't make you want to punch a hole in the wall. If she does, then, you might need anger management... btw I'm kidding.


I realize everyone has their own taste and I try to keep that in mind when selecting songs for Skylar's Playlist. I try to make the playlist as diverse as possible, though there are songs I refuse to include, if I absolutely cannot bare to listen to it.


For the most part when people request a song, I will add it, even if I am not fond of it... for instance, I'm not a big fan of Hillary Duff's music, don't get me wrong, I think she's a cute girl and a talented little actress, but her music is just not my cup of tea. However, Tabbie enjoys it and she requested Fly, because it inspires her and I can tolerate Hillary Duff, I've heard way worse! It's just not what I would normally listen to, but that doesn't mean I won't add it.


If I don't want to hear it, all I have to do is either turn the volume down or pause it, and problem solved. Unless, I'm adding songs to the playlist, then I do have to listen to it.


I personally think I have pretty decent taste, but I wanted to warn you all, that some of the songs might be a bit loud, and you may not like everything you hear.


Our current playlist is all about color inspiration. There is a song by Pink Floyd. I am a Pink Floyd fan. There are a lot of misconceptions about Pink Floyd fans such as we're all stoners and acid droppers. I am not a stoner nor have I ever dropped acid and I never will. I just enjoy their music, they have a unique sound and I think their pretty neat.


You will also notice, that I have a few of the same songs on the playlist, but they are all sang by different artists and I loved each version so much it was too hard to choose, so I included them all.


Some examples:


There are 3 different versions of True Colors  by -Cyndi Lauper, Phil Collins and Glee.


I also have both Judy Garland's and Israel (what's his face's) version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and 99 Red Balloons by both Nena and Reel Big Fish.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy the music I selected. If you think I'm missing any great color inspiration songs, let me know and I'll see if I can find it.


FYI: I can tolerate a lot of songs that I do not like, but there is one band/group you will never see on any of my Playlists and they are the Dixie Chicks.


I'm sorry, but I just can't take 'em! I use to like them when I was younger, but anytime I hear them now, I want to cut my ears off and throw them across the street!


Justin Bieber (though I would prefer not), maybe a little Mariah Carey, some Hillary Duff... fine, I mean Kellie Pickler's "Red High Heels" is not for everyone. 

Anyway, I can tolerate these people. However...

this is a Dixie Chicks free zone!

(Since I'm the one in charge of putting the list together and am required to listen to the songs before adding for various reasons, I just can't do it.)

Oh and none of that hardcore rock junk!

You can find the playlist at the bottom of the blog under the footer area.

Just Expressing My O-pin-ion

via imgfave.com

Just expressing my o-pin-ion and doing a little venting...

Every once in a while, I will come across a pin that is just so absurd, some of those pinners are seriously off their rockers! It amazes me how illogical people can be. They really drive me bananas sometimes!


I try my best to ignore it most of the time, but sometimes I can't help but want to put my two cents in and a lot of times it is necessary.


When you do put your two cents in, when you speak out against something, WATCH OUT! They will come back at ya with every name or insult in the book.


God forbid having an opposing opinion and dare to express it! Especially, when the pin is so ignorant, not to mention offensive and at times, just downright nasty or cruel.

via 28.media.tumblr.com

Most of the time, I'll ignore the stupidity, because you know the pin is intended to cause a frenzy. There are plenty of attention whores on Pinterest and there are also antagonists who purposely want to piss everybody off.


Oh and I always love when the pinner comes back with this:

via Inspiring-Pictures.com

Or they'll say "I didn't ask for your opinion" or "keep your negative opinions to yourself".

Here's the thing though, when you pin something you are in a way asking for opinions. Pinterest isn't like Facebook where only friends can comment. Anyone can comment on your pins, that's why there is a comment box.

When you pin something contraversial or offensive, people are going to get upset and they are going to express their o-pin-ions. If you don't want negative comments, don't pin things that are going to piss people off.

Anything you say can be offensive to others, so no matter what you pin, people are going to have an o-pin-ion about it. If I was worried about getting negative comments, my pinboard would almost be empty and it would be pretty dull.

Truth is, I don't care, people can say whatever they want to say about my pins. When I pinned it, I invited them to share their thoughts, whether I agree or disagree. I get this concept.

For the most part I choose to not give in, I'll just continue scrolling and focus more on the pins that bring happy thoughts and inspiration, pins that make me chuckle or smile. I know if I give into the antagonists, I'm just going to end up wanting to pull my hair out and it's just going to be a distraction. Plus, I know most of the time it's pointless, afterall, no matter how hard you try...

....you can't fix stupid!

Not even with this...

...Right Ron?

There are moments however, when they do provoke me. If it is something I am passionate about, a pin that has a harmful or hurtful message that I feel is encouraging to others especially the younger pinners, I refuse to keep my mouth shut!

There comes a time, when you have to take a stand and speak up, even if you end up standing alone. Even though you know someone isn't going to like what you have to say, sometimes it's worth saying anyways.


Some examples:

If you have been following, you all know how I feel about this word. I even signed the pledge to end the word. I hate this word just as much as I hate the "N" word.

I wasn't mad at the pinner, she actually felt the same way as me. I'm mad at the pervert who took the picture and the parents of these children. However, if I ever saw this pin, pinned by someone who thought it was cool, I'd have to go off!

The original pinner is obsessed with being skinny and the message she is sending with the pins on her boards are frightening and dangerous. I've gotten in many a fights on this chicks board. Being that Skylar is trying to send a healthier and more positive message to young girls about beauty and body image, this is when I feel the need to speak out.

I also came across an image not too long ago, of a little girl between 5-7 years old. I have chosen not to post it here, because it is in my opinion the most disgusting pin I've found, thus far. The little girl is nude and her little ribs were popping out of her chest and whoever the photographer is glamorized it- just as in the photo of the two little girls above in the baby pool.

Needless to say, I was outraged over this! Is this seriously where we are in this world? Exploiting children in such provocotive filthy ways and glamorizing it? That's really scary people! 

What outraged me the most, was the woman who pinned it. I was really enjoying her board until I saw this photo. It was so glamorous, with sparkles and pretty clothes, and all of a sudden there it was, as if it was part of the glamour, like she didn't mind it. I was in utter shock!

I didn't comment, but I reported it to Pinterest I'm pretty sure that would be considered child pornography. If you ever see anything like that, I would hope you would do the same. We can't allow people to exploit children in that manner.

As you all know I have no problem with tasteful, artistic and glamorous nudity, but not when it is a child, you gotta draw the line somewhere.

There is absolutely nothing tasteful, nothing artisitc and nothing glamorous about child pornography of any sort!

Some people really know how to press your buttons. You could be the kindest, most considerate person in the world, couldn't kill a fly, but even the nicest most down to earth person might be tempted to want to go off on those jerks.

Seriously...

I'm not saying you shouldn't pin it, if it is something that you truly believe in your heart, but when you do pin it, you have to know you are going to rattle some cages.


As long as it doesn't go against Pinterests policy (I would hope child pornography would qualify, wouldn't you? I would hope that would not be permitted.), you can pretty much pin whatever you like. It is your board, therefor if you like it, pin it, but don't get all huffy when people express their honest and sometimes harsh feelings about it.


I have no problem saying what is on my mind or rattling lots of cages and if people want to call me names, so be it.


Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names such as bitch or that filthy disgusting C word don't bother me one bit.


And, yes I've been called the C word lots of times! Seriously? That is just a trashy and classless word.  It's sad that because I want to stop Anorexia and want to protect children, I get called the C-Word.


People, especially young ladies seem to throw that word around quite a bit and they act as if it's no big deal. It's kind of Maury Povich-ish though, don't you think?


FYI: If you choose to express your o-pin-ion on someone elses pin, even if it is an opposing view, even if the pinner is a total moron, you can do so without being rude. Try to be polite, even if the moron comes back at you with the C-Word! You can be the bigger person.


There is a good chance you are probably not going to change all of their minds, but then again, sometimes words can have a positive effect on people, if you go about it the right way. If your goal is to end the R-Word and you get at least one person to stop using that word, good job! You got your message across to at least one ignorant individual today.


What is the most outrageous pin you have found on Pinterest? Have you ever gotten into it with anyone on Pinterest?