High Five for Friday!

High five for Friday, because this has been a great week! Five of my highlights:

1. J-O-B
After much anticipation and months and months of job interviews and rejections and offers that came in way too low, my hubs has a new job! Woohoo. We are both so excited and this means much more peace of mind and lots to look forward to in the future! Yeah!

2. Caramel Brownies
There is not a whole lot to say about this one because the name speaks for itself, but let's just say I should have made a couple pans of caramel brownies, because one pan just did not last long enough!

3. Vacuum Bag
Sometimes its the small things that make a big difference in life, and this week a new vacuum bag in my vacuum was like manna from heaven. It doesn't smell musty when I vacuum and I feel like my vacuum transformed into the Dyson 1 million point awesome version because the suction is unreal. Thanks two dollar vacuum bag for transforming my life and carpets this week!

4. Family
We had a family BBQ with extending family which is always fun and I am just super grateful for family in general. My parents are in town for an extended visit and it is so nice seeing them on a regular basis and my little pumpkin just can't get enough of nana and papa. I am loving having Jane 98% closer and we had fun staying up late and catching up on movies. Family rocks!

5. Bountiful Basket
I ordered my Bountiful Basket (after taking a break) - it is a produce co-op and it is amazing. You order your basket for $15 on Monday and Saturday morning you go pick up your 'basket' full of 1/2 veggies and 1/2 fruits (in season and locally grown). You get a ton of produce and its always a surprise what you will get which makes it fun and more of a challenge when planning your menu for the upcoming week. I am super excited to pick up my basket on Saturday morning! www.bountifulbaskets.org

So, that is my high five! Happy Friday and enjoy your nice, long holiday weekend!

Current Crush: Pops of Color!

The trend I am loving currently: pops of color among neutral tones! Love it in interior design, love it in fashion design, love it in general. I just can't get enough. The best is that you can change up the colors among the nuetral tones to make it versatile for seasons, days or just when you feel you need a change.

Love the yellow with the neutral tones. Best part is you can buy the cute wall decal from fellow Etsy shop Old Barn Rescue Company. They have great photographs and even better vinyl wall decals - so cute!

Purchase the vinyl decal on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56404685/always-kiss-me-goodnight-romantic-wall



Forget how much I love the use of blue among the neutrals. I also am in love with this bookshelf! Ahhhh. Best part is you can purchase it from Cottage Chic Store dot com.

Purchase this adorable bookshelf directly at:
http://www.cottagechicstore.com/item185675.ctlg

LOVE this combo put together on Polyvore by alisonm5. Great use of neutrals with pops of teal. Perfect for fall!!! So many great details that come together is such a splendid way!



Created by alisonm5 via Polyvore



I especially love the blue with the brown and white. The brown adds the perfect fall feel and the blue adds interest and you could always keep the base outfit and switch out a new scarf and purse and have a whole different outfit! Genius cynthia335 via Polyvore!

Created by cynthia335 via Polyvore

Once again, I love the creative blend of fabulous color, and neutrals, but done in a very different way, with a totally different feel. Fun for fall and easy to change up or take from a daytime to nighttime look with a feel accessory changes. Thanks kristen-344 via Polyvore - awesomeness.

Crteated by kristen-344 via Polyvore



Happy crushing! xo - Lizzy

 

Back to School Time

So yesterday was the first day of school for me. For those of you who don't know I am going back to school to finish my degree in Landscape Architecture at USU.

Random Highlights:
They gave out famous Aggie Ice Cream on the student center patio. I had Aggie Blue Mint - it was awesome! Did I take a picture?..um.... oops...I was too distracted by all the deliciousness  - I know bad, bad blogger. So here is one courtesy of the internet:

Yes it really is blue...and delicious! Here is the offical description:
Mint flavored ice cream lightly tinted blue with cookie pieces and white chocolate chunks.

Speaking of food I have found my go-to salad place. Luke's Cafe has an amazing Southwestern Chicken Salad:
Southwest seasoned chicken breast, black beans, white corn, charred pablano and red bell peppers set on a bed of baby greens and tri-colored tortilla strips and served with avocado ranch dressing.

Are you drooling yet? The avocado ranch is to die for! Okay moving on...

I got a job and start training today, but believe it or not I had to sign a non-blogging agreement so you will not be hearing about that. Needless to say it is not working at the campus library!

Tonight they are showing the Avengers out on Old Main Hill - I haven't seen it yet so I am excited. Everyone I've talked to loves it! Opinion to follow.

So one of my new textbooks weighs the same as a toddler....okay so Amazon says it is only 7.4 pounds but I don't believe it for second - it's as thick as a Harry Potter and a full 8.5 x 11"

I am working on getting settled in to my new place...Makeover pics to come.

All my professors so far have mentioned that they have a pretty heavy course load, so I am going to have to whip out my time management superpowers. With blogging, etsy, working, school & maybe trying to have a social life I am pretty sure I have at least 3 nervous breakdown lined up for this semester. Nevermind that, I am still loving life!

Anyway that's a pretty decent snapshot...I've been trying to catch up on all of my blog reading, but I am still way behind! What have you all been up to while I've been moving cross-country & settling in?

Make a Difference Monday!

I know it is still August, but I wanted to give you as much time to plan and participate in this movement as possible. Have you heard of it? It is the 9/11 Day Tribute Movement. 9/11 Day is a movement built on people remembering through positive action. How cool is that? We can all unite through service (and you know how I love anybody/thing that gives back)!

Visit: www.911day.org

Pledge: To do a good deed in memory of 9/11.

Spread the Word: Tell others and get family and friends on board.

Do: Complete your good deed on September 11th, 2012.

Need an idea for a good deed? You can search for opportunities to volunteer in your local community using your zipcode.

One of the fastest ways you can spread the word is through social media.

Tweet. Facebook. Tumble. Blog.

 

You can also donate! Donate a minimum of $25 today and you will be sent a t-shirt by September 10th (if you do not donate by today they cannot gaurantee your t-shirt will arrive in time).

Current Crush: Bikes

This weeks current crush was inspired by all the super-adorable beach cruisers I have seen rolling around campus...MUST GET ONE!

Wednesday Weirdisms

Okay this might seem like an odd topic, but hey the word weird is right in the title. I was thinking about all the weird things I do/think that make me uniquely me. I thought it was worth posting about because I think some of them are kinda funny, even though they are so ME!  

Numero Uno:
I drink an obscene amount of milk. It is my favorite beverage and I drink close to a gallon a day, which is expensive and most people find extremely odd. Lots of people tell me they can only drink milk with something, such as cereal, desserts, chocolate, etc. Nope, I drink it all day, every day and when we run out, it is as if the world is ending and I don't know what I am going to do with myself. On a positive note: my bones are strong, like ninja strong.

Numero Two:
I do not believe in making the bed. It makes no sense to me that we make our bed only to mess it up again that night. And I get it, we do several things daily that get un-done again, but this one just doesn't make sense to me. Does it look prettier? Yes. Do I like the look of a bed that is nicely made? Yes. Will I still teach my kids to make their beds? Yes. But still, I don't believe it makes sense to spend valuable time each day doing something so silly.

Number Tres:
I am an organization freak. I can spend hours and hours on end organizing something to death. I especially like making plans and to-do lists and filling in my calendar. I actually get myself into trouble because I spend so much time organizing a project that I put off doing it, because I plan and re-plan and organize it and never actually get to doing it. Plus - I am great at organization. Minus - It gets in the way of doing.

Number Four:
Nails. I am weird about nails. I like my nails short. If they start to grow out, I have to cut them or they drive my nuts. I also can't handle chipped nail polish. If it starts to chip I have to keep picking at the polish until the polish is gone or remove it with nail polish remover if I have some handy.

Numero Cinco:
I do not like writing with a pen that has blue ink. I like black ink or colored pens. Call me crazy, I just don't love blue ink. The end.

Number Six: I LOVE to vacuum. I love the look of vacuum lines on the carpet. I love having freshly vacuumed carpets. It is my favorite 'chore' by far. My daughter is terrified of the vacuum and therefore I try to be concious of her fear and schedule my vacuuming around her sleepy time, but I really would vacuum every room in my house on a daily basis if it didn't totally traumatize my boo-boo.

On a random note: I am LOVING the song Just a Game by Birdy!

Random Pic I Just LOVE

This ends the weirdness. Happy Hump Day! xo - Lizzy

Arm Party Post - Part 1

So I was lucky enough to get in on the arm party action before it filled up and I was partnered with Karen from Celebrate Life. She currently lives in Korea and has the most adorable little daughter. Do to slow postal service at my new place I haven't got her package yet so watch for part 2...But here is what I sent her:

She said her favorite colors were:
Any neutral (browns), gold/mustard yellow, and robins egg blue!

So here is what I came up with:

Okay, this one I did NOT Make...if you have heard of sneakpeeq.com you probably recognize this one!

Karen's Favorite Summer Memory: 

Whenever summer evenings ended with yummy watermelon... they were ALWAYS my favorite nights... and chasing fireflies!

Karen's Favorite Summer Movie:

The Sandlot - You're killin' me Smalls!

I can't wait to get my package and see what her creativity unleashed!

Opulence Baby!

These were a bunch of pretties I found on pinterest, but I guess the common thread between these pins would have to be opulence...aren't they just gorgeous!

Finally Friday!

Reunited and it feels so good! (Thank you Peaches & Herb for providing the soundtrack to today's blog post.) Well I am ExCiTeD to finally be able to say that Jane has finally made her way 1,000 miles (maybe more because they took several scenic routes) across the country to join me in the great state of Utah! It's about time this day finally come! 

Jane is going back to school to finish her degree and although she will still be about 100 miles away from me (Lizzy), that is about 92% closer than she was in Minnesota, which means I am 92% happier to have my sister and business-partner close by. 

What does this mean for the blog?

 Well, first off it means that it pretty much took a header this week because the responsibility fell almost solely on me. And of course this week was chaotic and I couldn't seem to get my ducks in a row to put together a decent post. (Some of you might be thinking, well Wednesday was fun to see the bridesmaids sporting L&J custom hairclips, but you can thank Jane for putting that together before she hit the road.) 

Secondly, we hope to be able to get together (in person!) about once a month to work on some things for the blog and for the Etsy shop. This will allow us to be a little more hands on with our projects, swap needed materials, take pics for each other and of each other (which is amazing because do you know how difficult it can be to get a good photo of yourself using a camera phone or dinky digital camera, oy with the poodles). So we are stoked. 

We have some posts and fun projects we will be implementing thanks to this most awesome transition and we have some fun pen pal interactions we will be documenting along with a nail polish swap we will be gushing about in mid-September. So we have lots that we are excited to share in the near future and hope you will forgive our blah week of blogging (for my sake anyhow). 

Happy Friday! 

xo - Lizzy

What they wore wednesday...

One of our lovely Brides was kind enough to share pictures of her wedding...

As you can see her bridesmaids wore navy satin strapless dresses, styled with beautiful multi-strand pearl necklaces (love the ribbon!!) and topped their gorgeous twisted updos off with our navy satin flower clips with matching pearlized buttons.

Thank you Theresa for sharing your beautiful day with us!

On another note... The Just for Mom Giveaway winners were announced yesterday. Were you a winner?

Final Day & Happy-ness

Reminder that today is the final day of the

Just for Mom Giveaway!

You do not want to miss out on the fabulous prizes!

So, git r dun.

Happy Monday!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Jane! She had a birthday yesterday! Woo woo!

High Five for Friday: Lizzy

Okay I have lots to be grateful for this week, but I will share just a few highlights of my week that made it memorable and fun!

1) The most memorable night of the week was Family Movie Night. It was an impromptu night of fun that started as an idea to watch a movie as a family and turned into us making a 'bed' on the family room floor with tons of blankets and pillows and having us snuggle as we watched Kung Fu Panda and had pizza. We ordered from Dominoes and can I just say their parmesan bites and cinnamon bread with icing was DELIGHTFUL! It was so fun having our little pumpkin snuggled in between us, laughing and having fun, one-on-one with mom and dad. These are memories you just can't re-create. Awwww.

2) We went to a free class held at our local library called Music & Movement. It's a class for toddlers and young children designed to help them with coordination and movement and following directions and it was so much fun! Although our daughter didn't follow the cues very well (she's still pretty young), she had a blast and was all smiles, running around and laughing and enjoyed being around other small people. :) We had so much fun, we are going back for more in a couple weeks!

3) Monday was duel dentist appointments for my husband and I. And I am proud to announce we are both cavity free, which is the best feeling ever and makes me more and more excited the more appointments I go in a row without any extra dental work. I can't even remember the last time I had an appointment with a cavity and that makes me SUPER happy. More teeth in my mouth, more money in my pocket. Yes!

4) I love FREE which is why we took advantage of Ikea's free breakfast they offer on Monday mornings. We had a ton of fun getting there first thing in the morning to get our free bacon,eggs and hash brown breakfast. The bonus was I also got a couple chocolate bars (not free) out of it. Gooooo Ikea! You rock.

5) I know this might seem silly, but I am seriously in LOVE with the mini bow hairclips I made my daughter and posted about earlier this week. They are so stinkin' cute, I just cannot get over it. I am so jazzed about how easy and adorable they are, that I already have plans to make them for my niece and my friend who is having a baby girl in a month or so. Plus, my daughter's hair is getting long and is always in her eyes, but I just can't cut her beautiful baby fine hair yet, so this is the perfect solution and she has been rocking them all week. Three cheers for mini bow hairclips! Hip hip horray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip Hoorayy!

Don't forget to enter the Just for Mom Giveaway we are

co-hosting! Only three more days to get your entries in!

Current Crush: Companies that Give Back

I am in LOVE with companies that give back, and whether it is worldwide or right in your backyard, what matters is that these fabulous companies are making a difference! Because they are making a difference, I try to make a conscious effort to support them because of the good they do! There are so many out there that a) there is no way I have enough time in the day to highlight all the great companies that do amazing things to impact our world and b) I didn't want to overwhelm you with too much info, so I will do some follow up posts with more of my favorites, because it was getting a little lengthy. You are welcome. :)

Toms is probably one of the more famous for its One for One charitable giving of a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased from them. So go purchase yourself a new pair of kicks knowing that its also doing good for someone else in the world. Plus, you can look forward to participating in One Day Without Shoes in 2013 as they raise awareness of the impact that a pair of shoes can have in the life of a child by going without shoes.

Some of my favorite TOMS:

   

People Water gives Drop for Drop. For every bottled water purchased from People Water, they will give an equivalent amount a clean drinking water to a person in need. Plus, they have some very neat opportunities, like becoming an ambassador, hosting an event, and interning. AND they have awesome t-shirts that tug at your heartstrings with slogans like, "We are not asking you to change anything except the world", and "Unsafe water kills more people every year than all forms of violence including war".

Tide sponsors an amazing program called the Loads of Hope Program. It's a program designed to help families affected by disasters. They show up to disaster sites, set up remote laundromats and wash, dry and fold clothes for families affected by the disasters. How cool is that? And I guarantee it is so appreciated by the people to provide such a basic need, so they can focus on grieving, and rebuilding without having to worry about clean clothes. Best of all you can show your support by purchasing a vintage t-shirt, here. 

Each year Burt's Bees partners up with 40+ organizations whose initiatives they support, often volunteering in communities and neighborhoods. They love to work with Habitat for Humanity and take on projects that beautify and uplift such as the Sunken Gardens Revitalization Project they participated in recently. They also have a non-profit organization, The Greater Good Foundation that supports grass roots organizations working to eliminate the causes of social and environmental problems. How can you take part in the good they are doing? 10% of online orders of Burt's Bees products are donated to these fantastic causes!

What companies do you love that give back?

Share you current Crush with us over at Framed Frosting!