dad and his brothers

Today is my dad's birthday...he would have been 80 years old! He passed away from cancer when he was 63. I talked to my mom last night (she still lives in Canada) and we were of coarse talking about him and thinking about the past....to be totally honest he wasn't the best father or husband.....my mom and I went through some really difficult 'stuff' with him.....it left emotional scars....things I'm still trying to work on today...my confidence, self-esteem....but one thing my dad taught me is that nothing in life is black and white....there is a whole lot of grey....he did change thanks to my mother who stuck by his side when I think most women would have just left....she tells me it's because she knew he had a good heart...and he did. I'm not going to talk about the bad 'stuff' because I forgave him for that and it's in the past....a lot of people who knew him say he should have written a biography...he really should have....he had a tough life...loosing his father in the war at a very young age and being the oldest he had to provide for his mother, brothers and sister....

My mom and dad (no that's not his hair and mustache!! a wig and fake mustache)....before I was born.

Last night my mom said she wished he was here to see my kids....(he passed when I was 21...before I got married)....I see so much of him in my kids especially my oldest Marko....thankfully all the good! lol

I have a lot of my dad's traits...my crafty, good with my hands comes from him, loved sports....he was also very romantic, LOVED animals, people and life! He couldn't care for material things...I have never met anyone like him....you could not impress him with anything material (cars, houses, this brand or that)...he always use to say I won't be taking that to the grave with me..lol..morbid but true!....he was definitely 'grey'.

I wanted to celebrate my father and his brothers (who have all passed away...my uncle died last summer...he was the last in the family to go)...being that it is almost Father's Day...with a small giveaway.

Three brothers....so alike and so different at the same time...my dad was the wild one, the one you didn't want to mess with! LOL!

From the left: Milan, Zvonko (don't you love his hair!!), Petar (my dad, the oldest...I believe he was 14 in the photo...I love this photo)

My uncle Milan who died when he was 47 was a beautiful soul....I don't remember him but that's what everyone told me .....I mean everyone....I found this newspaper article my dad kept of my uncle's passing....it basically says what a wonderful and sweet man he was...not a mean bone in him.

And then there's my uncle Zvonko....he was the charmer of the three!! lol  When I was little I thought he was Elvis!! Does anyone else see the resemblance?? :)  Don't you just love looking at photo of your parents (and family) before you were born! This month it will be a year since my uncle passed away. I miss them all!

So...I'm giving away this perfect stamp set, perfect for your masculine cards....

Just leave a comment and I'll randomly choose one winner on Father's Day!

xo

Pop on over to the Jane's Doodles blog and check out Eva's hybrid card using our free bunny digi! :)

beauty goodies

Hi!

Hope you had a lovely weekend!! We had great weather and went to Zagorje to visit our friends.

Well...this is the last week of school and I think I'm more excited than the kids are!!! NO MORE HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol! Summer holidays are here and I wanted to share some of my beauty must haves for summer....please note that I'm no beauty guru....but I do enjoy beauty products, lotions and potions...  :) 

 So here are a few things that I MUST have this summer! .)

1. Coconut Oil

How I LOVE thee!!! I take off my make up and cleanse my face with this and I have seen a difference in my skin!! Just google it and you'll see all the uses and benefits of coconut oil (I love it on my toast too!).

2. Make up Factory nail polish in Marigold

I notice I'm having a thing for orange/coral this summer!! This is such a gorgeous pop of colour on my nails. I did notice at Muller the Rimmel Salon Pro 'Kate' nail polish in Reggae Splash that is similar...I heard this formula is pretty good so I think I'm going to check out if they have any blue shades!

3. RoC Soleil Protexion Face

Anti-brown Spot Fluid SPF 50

LOVE LOVE this! I have a lot of hyperpigmentation (smack in the middle of my forehead!!) so it's very important that I use a high SPF and this one has vitamin C which lightens existing brown spots and prevents the formation of new ones....so far I'm loving it! It very moisturizing as well without being to rich or greasy.

4. MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush

This stuff is awesome!!! I used up my Stila Convertible Color in Peony and I swear the quality is just as good....although the packaging sucks but I will over look that because the product inside is awesome! Easy to blend....lasts for a long time. I bought Soft Copper...here's a swatch..

I want to go back and get Soft Pink!

5. Coconut Butter

I L.O.V.E this!! This product is 100% natural and 100% Croatian! :) Besides Coconut it's got almond, cacao butter, olive, sesame, sunflower, carrot and vitamin E! It's very RICH so a little goes a long way and my skin is so soft!! My husband noticed! :)

6. Bioderma Sensibio H20

I take off my eye make up with Bioderma Sesibio (coconut oil works too)..this is perfect for sensitive eyes...doesn't burn, irritate and it works great!

7. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous

I don't wear a lot of make up especially in the summer...it's just too hot!! A tinted moisturizer or BB Cream (I'm using Clinique's and I LOVE it) is all I'll put on my face (and blush) but I do love lipsticks (hate lipgloss) and I'm loving this pop of colour on my lips! :)

Ok...that's it! Pop by the Jane's Doodles blog and check out Angeline's GORGEOUS card!! ...you'll love it! :)

xo

random goodness

Hello!

Hope all is well.....I'm super excited because the sun finally is out!! Our weather lately sucked...cool and rainy...where's summer???!

Anyways...I spotted this diy on Pinterest and loved the idea....I had bought this little corkboard for my office down in the basement perfect for this project....for those who know me you know I HATE measuring....I eyeball everything....so I took some masking tape and just eyeballed it...

I did two coats of paint (although I think when I do my corkboard in my pantry I'm only going to do one coat...it's a bit more sheer but I think I like that better...)

Here's a peek....I'm going to paint the frame a Tiffany blue-ish colour and will post pictures once it's done and hanging on the wall...but I have to say I love the way it turned out...I was a little worried because I didn't do any measuring....

 I'm loving Make Up Factory's Summer Flowers nail polish collection....this brand works great on my nails (way better than Essie...I don't know what it is about Essie nail polishes but they chip the same day I painted my nails!!)....I bought Marigold and Mint Leaf...by far the best mint colour I have ever tried.

Looks more yellow in the photo (more orange-y in real life)...love it...perfect pop of colour for summer! :)

Finally finished the pantry!!!! Now to clean the rest of the house (which I have neglected!!)...

Have a great weekend!
xo