connecting
FOUR
Almanac
Index
Article Page Chinese .................. 1 How To ............... 2-3 Prinable ............... 4 Font ...................... 5 Product ............... 6-7 Style Tip ............. 8-9 Tasty treat ...... 10-11 1
Chinese Corner
恩 情
恩情
ēnqíng : pronounced (un ching), this is the meaning of a deep and loving kindness. A kindness that a friend has for a close friend, or a brotherly love. I thought this more appropriate for Valentines Day, than the word “love”. The is becsue in English there is only one word for the feelings you have for things or people you admire. However in Chinese there is a plethora of words for different feelings we have, that in English is just called “love”. ēnqíng embodies what I believe we experience most of the time when we use the word love - the feeling of tenderness and loving kindness towards friends and family.
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To
How
enjoy your Valentines Day
GIVING IS GETTING No, I don’t mean giving out chocolates so someone will eventually buy you something in return. I mean that though it may sound like overkill, it is very true that the joy of giving outweighs that of receiving. Unlike other holidays such as Christmas, there is no expectation for gifts on Valentines Day. This means that when you give a friend a chocolate or a nice letter it is a pleasant surprise. It is so much sweeter a surprise, in my opinion, when it is absolutly unexpected to the recipient. A short note of encouragement or a little chocolate can brighten someone’s day considerably! Here’s your chance to discover the joy found in giving! So If you are the artistically challenged then below you will find a perfect printable to give to your friends or sweetheart.
True Happiness is Giving It Away http://www.fromupnorth.com/
EAT CHOCOLATE Hey! What can I say - it is classic. If this is not your tradition, it should be - just for fun! If you are unfortunate enough to have cheapskate friends that don’t buy you chocolate, buy some for yourself and enjoy it with the best drink - tea - okay, there may be some bias in there! All joking aside, chocolate scientifically proven to calm anxiety and stress.
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Cinderella Story http://www.ivewatchedit.com/
The added bonus is the delicious taste! Personally I like Macadamia nut chocolate - so if anyone is thinking about sendings an “unexpected” Valentine gift, you know what to buy me *wink wink* ! Strawberry, Almond, vanilla, dark, mint, etc etc, the flavors go on and on - pick your favorite and enjoy ~
WATCH A ROMANCE I guess this is for the girls more than the guys, seeing that most guys aren’t too keen on romances. But just to put you in the mood of Valentines day, choose your favorite romance film and pop it in while you enjoy that chocolate! My personal favorite when it comes
Chocolate Love White, Strawberrie, Dark, Macadamian Chocolate
to romance films, though I am not really a general fan of romances, is the Cinderella Story. If you are not familiar with the name, it is not the animated Cinderella or the one that Sillina Gomez plays in. I would highly recommend this clean and cute romance to anyone! If you are looking for a good film to watch on Valentines Day watch ‘The Cinderella Story’!
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Printable Printables VALENTINE PRINTABLE
Valentine’s Cards! Not predictable right... Well this week’s Printable is the Animal Kingdom edition of Valentine Love. I have included a black and white version as well as a colored one because personally
I don’t always like to print color. I think black and white is much more classy at times - plus colored ink printers get pretty expensive pretty fast ~
Note: print onto card stock for best results!
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Font Week of the
PACIFICO FONT I love this font becase it is cursive and bold. So often you get these cursive fonts that are so thin you have no idea if the letter is a ‘T’ or a ‘F’ or what!
However this font is really perfect for clear and readable labels. It is super sweet and romantic, an optimal font choice for your Valentine cards!
A B C D E F G H IJ KLMNOPQRS TUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz
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Product Week of the
Printables
VALENTINES CARDS
As Valentine’s Day draws near, we are thinking about buying chocolates, flowers, and cards. What would Valentines be without proclamations of love written in Valentine cards stuck in bunches of red roses? The card is the most important part - it’s so important that the one fromkindergarden art class finds it’s place in the “memory box” later to be discovered by your mom who eagerly frames it. Thankfully I have found a wonderful substitute for those Kindergarden heart cut-out cards. >> ParriotDesignStudio designed these adorable cards and they are sold on Etsy.You can buy them here. For those of you who don’t speak French, je t’aime means “I love you”
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Letterpress
Valentine Cards
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Style Tip RED LIPSTICK
DOS AND DON’TS Red lipstick is totally coming back in, and just in time for this year’s Valentine’s Day. There is nothing sweeter than a red lipstick, a white dress and short heels ~ Perfection! However, you cannot pull off this look if you don’t follow the Red Lipstick Rules...
up time. Go natural, use soft toned or nude facial make up. DO fix you hair correctly! When styling red lipstick the best way to go with hair is to pull it back. Leave your cheeks and ears, if possible, clear of loose strands. This intensifies the simple sweetness.
DO use the right shade for you! We are all made different and all beautiful - thankfully we are not all identical. So one shade may work for some, but for others - no. Here’s the rules: for fair skin choose colors near red, for medium - pinky/oragney red, and for dark skin wear darker purpley red. DONT over-do the makeup! When going with the red lipstick, caking on the other make-up, ie blush, mascara, eyeliner, etc.Blue eye makeup and pink blush will make you loo like kindergardener dress
Red Lipstick Application http://fiftieswedding.com/
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DONT apply where you don’t have! Yes, it is true, most of us don’t have the lips of Angelina Jolie, but drawing outside of the lines is for elementary. Do not apply your makeup where you don’t have the lips... it’s obvious. DO line your lips! Personally, I don’t wear lip liner, but to pull off a successful red lip look “they” say that lip liner is essential. It’s a good idea to pick a lip liner that matches your lipstick. Perfect matches are hard to come by, so pick the lipliner in the general color group. If that fails buy nude lipliner.
DONT get lipstick teeth! This should be rule number one. When you are chatting with someone that has bright red lipstick on their white teeth, you get extremely distracted. Check check check, bring a pocket mirror. Quick fix: Put your index finger in between your lips (like you are sucking on a straw), and slowly drag your finger out. The excess lipstick that would have gotten on your teeth will now be on your finger Vintage Vouge Red Lipstick http://emilywheeler.com
Note: Her handy use of a mirror in her purse. Learn from the wise...
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TastyTreat PINK POWDERED TEA CAKES
I’m sure you expected some sort of heart shaped cookie, right? Well it’s my job to present the unexpected! When I thought of a Valentine snack, Russian tea cakes popped into my mind. Though they are often related to holiday cookies, Russian tea cakes are light, small, and powdered to perfection with sugar - who can ask for more? I stumbled across a fellow blogger who made pink Russian tea cakes! What could be better for a Valentine delight?!
Now, this recipe from the TomKat Studio blog calls for a few adjustments to the recipe. They added some pink coloring to the powder and lemon flavoring. Yum!
Green Tea Simplicity Magnifies the beauty of tea~ http://www.glamcelebrities.net/
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TRADITIONAL TEA CAKES These are the traditional Russian Tea Cakes. And when I say traditional I’m talking, great grandmother’s recipe of powdered delights. Unfortunately, it is tradition to do these at Christmas, for my family at least, so we only get them once a year. I want to change the tides! Russian Tea Cakes aren’t only Christmas cookies! Why should we be denied these delectable treats all year? Can anyone give me a reason!? *silence* I rest my case... Suggested Packaging http://www.6bittersweets.com/
Tea Cake Perfection http://smittenkitchen.com/
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