Spice Up Your Life

While browsing Etsy, I found a shop where you can order mexican, french, thai, italian, and other spice kits (pretty much any kind you could ever imagine). The coolest thing (in my opinion) is the option to pick any 8 spices you want and they will create a custom kit for $16. Click here to check out the shop and various products!

Here's to spicing up your life!! -E

Look Out World... Betty's Got Style!

Thanks to my sweet Aunt Lynn for sending me the monogram decal for my car!! Betty looks so good with my hot pink initials on her rear window!!

I have been wanting one of these decals for SO long and it was such a sweet surprise to receive mine in the mail!! Thank you again Aunt Lynn!! Love you!!

Marvelous Monday!!... Update

SO happy with how it turned out!!

-E

Marvelous Monday!!

Today was one of those days where I just had to do a craft. I've been looking everywhere for a Tiffany-Blue frame for my 

Flapper Doodle picture. However, no luck. 

Aaron Brothers is having a "buy one frame, get the second frame for a penny" sale. I got two 8x10 frames for $16. Bargain baby! After a small container of paint and a sponge brush purchase for $3 at Michaels, I was ready to get crafty. 

The color isn't exactly Tiffany-Blue, but I'm happy :)

Hope you've had a marvelous Monday!! -E

Gearing up for the week!

It's been an uneventful Sunday... just the way I like it. Watched a movie, went into work at J.Crew, did some cooking, and watched my Sunday night shows with the bro. I also played some guitar hero, and if I do say so myself, I'm getting pretty good :) "Jesse's Girl" is my favorite!!

 

How cute are these posters? 

How nice to receive this one as a gift

This would be so cute hanging in a kitchen like this one

Gearing up for a great week! -E

Winner of the Flapper Doodle Giveaway!!

It's time to announce the Winner 

of the Flapper Doodle giveaway!!

Random.org selected #2 Penny For Thoughts of a Dreamer as the winner. Congratulations!! 

Send me an e-mail with your address and start checking the mail for a special surprise! 

I'd like to thank all of my real-life and bloggie friends for entering!! I’ve got the next giveaway all lined up, so check back soon.

I'm always looking for the next "great giveaway" gift. If you have any ideas, or fabulous artists to promote, send me an email! -E

Happy Birthday Big Brover

Today is my OLDer brother's 38th birthday!!

Happy Birthday Billy! 

Let's take a journey back in time, shall we?

What a good big brother... playing with his little sis on the beach. Check out my '90s sunglasses

 

Whew, long day... I love this picture. The Newton kids love their sleep.

Not exactly sure when this picture was taken, maybe 12 years ago?

L to R: Steph, Billy, Me, Kristen, and Joe

I love this pic of Billy and my Missy girl. This was right after Missy joined the family. I miss her so much!!

Papas flew out to LA last night to spend the big day with Billy... they are going to play golf today, and I have to go to work :( boo. Billy introduced us to Guitar Hero last night and it was SO much fun. Billy is really, really, really good. As for me, I'm determined to get better by the time I leave LA :) I'll just have to practice, practice, practice... darn, LOL

Some of my most memorable memories involve this dude. 

Like the time, oh who am I kidding, the times he would make me smell his shoes or hang them off my ears. 

Or when he told me my name was Michael Jordan. I would actually tell people that was my name when they would ask. 

Gullible little sister? I think so. 

Oh, and this is the one where I actually remember being a typical little sister and running to my dad to tattle: One morning I got dressed in my orange shirt and gray shorts from the Hard Rock Cafe, and I skipped downstairs. Billy was sitting in the living room about to watch the UGA vs. Clemson game. Oh, did I mention that Billy is a DEDICATED Georgia graduate and fan? So, to continue the story... Billy told me that I needed to go upstairs and change; it was not okay for me to wear orange that day. Well, being the stubborn girl that I am, I refused. He then told me that if I didn't change clothes, he wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day. I don't really remember what happened after that, but I do remember that I did not change my orange ensemble :)

Because of my brother (and his family), I have a wonderful place to live for the summer in LA. It is because of their generosity that I had the opportunity to take an unpaid internship and volunteer at HOBY for the summer. :) So grateful!

Happy Birthday Billy!

Love,

Shorty/Yeye/Michael Jordan

Delightful Dresses

I love being a girlie girl. Currently, my favorite feminine trends include dresses and ruffles. And let's face it, combining the two is the icing on the cupcake!! How cute are these clothes?! And the best part is that they are on clearance... like major clearance... under $20!!! Thanks to The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style for introducing me to Alloy and for posting the black skirt on their site!

$19.00, yes please!

$19.99, oh for sure with leggings underneath!!

I'm not usually a Forever21 girl, but OMG this skirt!!

$19.80

Okay, sorry, hold the freakin' phone (sorry momma for using  the word freakin' but this moment warrants it)... I was just perusing a few more sites from the Cheap Chica's and I found this dress for $34. I'm 99.9% positive it's the same dress from Anthro for $128. 

LuLu

Anthro

Can you tell a difference? I may actually get the dress now. I love steals!!

What are your favorite fashion trends? -E

p.s. Don't forget to enter to win a flapper doodle print! I will close the giveaway Saturday at 6pm (pst)

p.p.s. Hop on over to see Christina at Down and Out Chic for another giveaway opportunity! She inspired me to start my giveaways because she exposes her readers to new products, and I was the lucky winner of one of her giveaways!! 

She's kind of my blog idol :)

Got a plan Stan?

We all have an idea of how our life is going to turn out and the path we will take to get there. Sometimes, parts of the plan do work out. And then there are days when the plan falls to pieces. I have become much more comfortable with change lately, but sometimes you get blind-sighted and don't know how to recover (gracefully). 

It's been a pretty crazy week, and some of the details to my plan have changed. I was a bit surprised with how I reacted. At first, it was the calm before the storm. Then, I started to feel like Eeyore and the rain cloud took up residence over my head. 

Once again, God stepped in and gave me encouragement. I love, love, LOVE quotes, and this one is spot on. It took me reading it a second time to truly grasp the meaning. I challenge you to adopt this message.

It's just another day! -E

TAG I'm it!!

Bitsy and Olive tagged me in a special post on her blog; she posted 10 facts about herself and tagged 10 of us to do the same :) 

1. I am obsessed with Diet Dr. Pepper. Well, beyond obsessed. But luckily, I have surrounded myself with fellow addicts: My momma, brother, and roomie to name a few.

2. I love to eat raw cookie dough; I'm not opposed to eating them cooked, but the dough is the best part.

3. My Nanny and I have the exact same taste in men... The 54-year age difference makes no difference. We both have crushes on Cary Grant and Jeffrey Donovan. 

4. I used to be a very picky eater, but now I'll try anything. While watching the Food Network the other night w/ my seven-and-a-half (that's an important distinction!) year old niece, we decided we will travel to Maryland to try fried shrimp heads (Duff Goldman said that they are the best fried food he's ever eaten!)

5. I want to work for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital when I "grow up."  I want to plan special events to raise money for this amazing hospital. 

6. I love, love, love crafts. There are days when I feel compelled to do something crafty.

7. I love to read... and watch movies. Some of my favorite authors are: Sophie Kinsella, Beth Harbison, and Emily Giffin. Some of my favorite movies are: Charade, Roman Holiday, National Treasure (1 and 2), Italian Job, Fever Pitch, all the Harry Potter movies, and Emma (just to name a few).

8. It took me almost 19 years to find my best friend. God walked me through hard times in high school so that I would know how to be a true friend to her. I know it's difficult to maintain friendships when distance and life-in-general get in the way, but I also know that this is a friendship that will last.

9. I have the best family ever. I'm sure you think you do (and I'm sure they are fabulous), but you haven't met mine :) I have two parents that could not love or support me more than they do, a brother that lets me live with him (along with his beautiful wife and adorably hilarious and sweet kiddos) for the summer for free so that I could take a un-paid intern position, a sister that (along w/ my southern gentleman bro-in-law) is raising three beautiful (both inside and out) kids, a Nanny (my grandmother) that made me pancakes with my initials written in them, let me eat as much candy as I wanted, let me watch as many movies as I wanted, and set an amazing example of how to truly love others, a fabulous aunt that sends me sweet surprises for no reason, amazing aunts, uncles, and cousins who love me and who I love so much, and amazing OCU family members (aka school friends)... the list goes on and on. 

10. I made a contract with my parents when I was (around) 13-years old: if they let me get my ears double-pierced, I would not get any tatoos or piercings until I was financially on my own... the funny thing is that I hardly ever wear earrings in my second holes. My 'rents definitely got the better end of the deal on this one... actually, who knows how long it'll take for me to be financially on my own (I guess that means I got the better end of the deal).  :) Love you Momma and Papas. 

So now I tag:

Loving Wings

Down and Out Chic

Decorology

Penny Thoughts For A Dreamer

Vanessa's Runway

Megan's Pointe

Polka Dots and Protein Bars

Cinema Splendor

Simply Full

Adoration & Enthusiasm

Love you all! -E

p.s. don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Project Runway fans: What's your MOOD?

I have been a loyal Project Runway fan since season two (I caught the first season when a marathon aired), and I'm looking forward to the new season on Lifetime. How cute are Tim and Heidi?!

ANYWAY, to get back to the title of this post... I pass

  

every day on my way home from work. I had some time to kill this morning so I stopped in to see what the contestants experience when they have their budget and 30 minutes!! Eek!!

When you first walk in, to your left, there is a huge display of buttons. If you can't find a button that you are looking for here, it does not exist. There are GIANT buttons too!!

After I recovered from button overload, I moved on to check out all of the fabrics in the store. Like O-M-G dudes, there is so much to choose from. I found a print that I really love and there are a variety of colors. I pulled out the sticker and of course I picked a Marc Jacobs fabric at $35/yd. I might buy a 1/4 of a yard, lol :)

I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday! 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!! -E

Giveaway #2!!!

I have a confession to make... and YOU have the opportunity to benefit from my shopaholic tendencies!!

As mentioned before, I stumbled upon the beautiful illustrations by 

Kate Gabrielle. 

Confession time: I ordered two prints and have decided to "gift" one of them to a lucky Olive My Life! reader :) I realize I just wrapped up my first giveaway on Monday, but I just couldn't help myself. These illustrations are adorable and I just l-o-v-e giving gifts!!!

Here are the rules:

1. If you have a blogspot account, become a follower. 

If not, it's ok, you can still enter! 

(just make sure you leave a way for me to contact you)

2. Check out Kate's blog and etsy shop. 

3. Leave a comment on my blog and tell me which of her illustrations catch your eye.

Make sure you leave your comment by 6pm (pacific time) on Saturday. Check back Sunday morning for the winner!

Thank you again for reading! -E

Dying for these Designs

I am a light person.

Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, Bay Windows, Chandeliers... It doesn't matter if it's natural or artificial, I love light!

I found these lamps at The White Attic; I love new design finds.

This pillow from Hettle would go perfectly with the two pillows I just bought at Anthropologie. 

Thank goodness I'm on the schedule at J.Crew this week; I definitely need to replenish the back account :)

Have a terrific Tuesday! -E

Giveaway Winner!!

Congrats to the winner of my first giveaway: 

BLC from "The Company She Keeps" 

Random.org selected post #4 as the winner! 

I must admit that I'm particularly happy she won, seeing as how she is a dedicated reader and always leaves such sweet comments.

Well Miss BLC, send me an email with your address so that I can mail your prize!! Congrats again!!

Check back soon for the next giveaway!!

-E

Hat Couture

The Royal Ascot 2009 was featured in the Charlotte Observer this week. Not much was said about the race; the emphasis was on the hats worn by the attendees. There is a very strict dress code for the Royal Ascot, and the website provides pictures of "Dos" and "Don'ts." I have to share some of these pictures with you. I am all about big hair and big hats, but do some of these go too far? You be the judge...

First up, the ones that I would totally wear...

And now for a couple "what was she thinking?!"

seriously, this girl has strawberries and a spoon on her hat!!

I have this dream to go to the Kentucky Derby one day so that I can wear a cute dress and a fabulous hat. 

Have a splendid day!! -E

100th Post!!

Celebrate good times COME ON!!

Today is my 100th blog post :)

I'm going to celebrate by hunkering down on the couch and reading Harry Potter (I've just started the series)

Today is a special day for another reason as well: 

Happy Father's Day Papas!! I love you! Enjoy your video!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! 

Don't forget that today is your last day to enter the GIVEAWAY!! 

Be sure to tell your friends!!

-E

Broadway Buzz

I was browsing my usual websites today, and two photos caught my eye as I navigated to Broadway.com.

The first is the celebration cake for Shrek The Musical's 100th performance. This cake is the product of one of the cake competitions on The Food Network. I just love it!!

The other picture is from "The Wiz." And it's not just any picture. That hottie on the far left is my buddy Daniel. We did "Footloose" together during summer stock in NC in 2003. He also appeared in "The Color Purple" and "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway!

Don't forget to comment on the Giveaway Post! 

The winner will be announced on Monday!

-E

Giveaway!!!

Drumroll please... today is the big day!! 

It's the first giveaway on Olive My Life!

School's out for the summer, and my favorite summer treat is ICE CREAM.

I love Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Moose Tracks, Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch, and Sorbet (just to name a few).

My boss gave me a little jar of heaven at work the other day: 

Fudge is My Life,  "a delicious fudge sauce as happy to meet the cold shock of ice cream as it is to greet dipping fruit or a tasting spoon."

The winner of this giveaway will receive a jar of this yummy fudge sauce. It'll give you a reason to have fondue with friends or ice cream on a summer's night. 

As a reminder, here are the rules:

1. If you have a blogspot account, become a follower of Olive My Life! If not, don't worry, you can still enter.

2. Leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite summer treat.

3. Check back on Monday for the winner!!

This is just a small "thank you" for checking out my blog! -E

Living in LA-La Land...

As kids stare off into space, they are often told that they are in "la-la land." Well, I really am in LA-la land this summer. That is the affectionate name I have given to LA :) I thought about this as I drove home from work today (and spent 2 hours sitting in traffic... grr)

Los Angeles is La-La Land for a couple of reasons:

1. It's La-La Land for me because I pass a lot of Range Rovers daily... my dream car... It's borderline painful to watch these beauties drive by, but hey a girl can dream!

2. It's La-La Land for others because there are some real Coo-Coo for CoCo Puffs folks around. Now, Crazy Land is just sound of La-La Land and there area plenty of people that commute. Like this guy, as if the hat alone wasn't bad enough, there is a wooden spoon poked through the hat... I'm sorry, what?! I almost crashed my car trying to take this picture... oh bother...

TGIF!! -E

tum, ta-tum, tum, TUMS!!

I love my nieces and nephew... alot... however, my tummy isn't such a fan... While I was babysitting last night, we watched "Chopped" on the Food Network. After the second round when the ingredients were presented to the contestants, one of the kiddos said, "Aunt Liz! Can we make you a dish and you pick the best?!" Who I am to squash the creative passions of youth?

Ummm... as they started to ask me questions, I started to re-consider my willingness to participate...

"Aunt Liz, do you like pretzels?"
"Yes."
"Do you like marshmallows?"
"Yes."
"Do you like peanut butter?"
"Yes."
"Do you like broccoli?"
"Yes... Wait what?! Are you combining all those?"
"Aunt Liz, do you like cashews?"
"Yes."
"Do you like cheese?"
"Yes."
I then overheard them say... "Can we add water?"
"NOOOOO!!!"

Oh man, I'm going to have a runny, green, sticky mess... Where are the Tums?!

First up: Caroline. "I've made a sort of dessert with some good healthy things. There are chips that hold the marshmallows, and I added some Oreos for texture.

Next: Big Will. His approach was much more organic. There wasn't a lot of chopping involved. But he exclaimed, "Aunt Liz! You're gonna be full!"

Finally, Sallie G. "Well, to start, I heard broccoli and peanut butter are good together for some people. And here I did some strawberries with a little bit of broccoli. And over here, some marshmallows with broccoli.

There were some adorable moments in all of this.

Sallie: "Oh man, my work station is a mess! I need to clean it up now."

Caroline: "I love watching them make stuff (the chefs on TV), because it encourages us to make stuff!"

Sweet Caroline again: "Aunt Liz, have you ever had a kid make you something before? This is my first time making something." What was I thinking?!

The best part though is that they tried each others' dishes and LOVED them.

Here's to creativity and fun in the kitchen! -E

small sidenote: I must admit that I am in love with Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." It is so refreshing to see a competition show where the contestants are kind and complimentary to one another. They laugh and are enjoying themselves!! Loving it!! :) Ok, bye!