Liv's Favs

These boots were made for walking. And for wearing. By me.

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

I'm still lusting after a good pair of grey boots, and I don't know what's keeping me from investing. If I just save up some of my Yoga money, I could easily buy a pair without spending any of Kev's hard-earned paycheck.

This pair by Story looks just like a black pair I picked up from a clothing swap (for free!). I love those boots and wouldn't mind having another pair in the grey I've been coveting for over a year now.

Why didn't I think of that before submitting my one Christmas-wish-item to Kev this year? Looks like I'll just squirrel away some cash until I can make these mine. Is there such a thing as a New-Year-present-to-oneself?

Fall into the GAP

2011-12-15T13:19:00.004-07:00

A new GAP Factory outlet opened up near me. Allow that thought to settle in. What this means is I'm having flashbacks to working there in High School. And spending most of my paycheck there.

Eeep!

Minky Couture coupon

2011-12-12T11:25:00.002-07:00

Valid for online purchases only, you can get 40% off Minky blankets with code HOMETOWN12. Visit the Minky website and get shopping!

Free Nursing Cover

2011-12-06T17:15:00.003-07:00

Udder Covers is doing it again, offering free nursing covers with promotion code "CHRISTMAS." I was given one of these covers when Aspen was born and I used it all the time, even in my own house! It can be nice to have something secure and adjustable so nursing in the company of others is still discreet.

You can use this code more than once as long as you conduct each transaction in a new window. Happy shopping!

Free Carseat Canopy

2011-11-29T09:51:00.003-07:00

Use code "CHRISTMAS" to receive a free carseat cover (to keep creepers outta yo baby's business) from Carseat Canopy's site. It could make a great gift for yourself, or someone you know with a little one.

Snapfish discount codes

2011-11-22T15:36:00.001-07:00

Get 100 prints (4X6) from Snapfish with code PRINTSFREE.

You could easily use this to make photo christmas cards, or just catch up on all the photos you've taken the last few months.

WAHOO!

Bounce Dryer Bar

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Via BlogHer I received a free sample of Bounce's Dryer Bar to use as a replacement for dryer sheets. It's been secured to the inside of my dryer for a few weeks now, and I have to admit I didn't think it'd make much of a difference in my laundry routine.

Lo and behold, I like saving myself the 5 seconds it used to take to pull out a fresh dryer sheet for each load! Who would have thought that would be a big deal? But you know, sometimes you forget if you've put a sheet in halfway through and so you put one in for good measure and then you somehow have 10 in a load that you're pulling out of the sleeves of your clothes and throwing away.

The bar should last a few months, depending on the frequency of use. It does a great job giving my clothes a subtle fresh scent, but it could use a little help removing static. For a regular load of cotton clothes it's great. For fleece PJs or flannel sheets it doesn't quite have enough power and I find Aspen's socks clinging to the laundry like magnets.

However, for a free product test, I am satisfied. I'm ok with putting a dryer sheet in with a big load of static-prone clothes if that's what it takes. Depending on price, I hope to refill the bar once it's run its course.

Free activities in Utah!

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to gather up info for free activities (or low-cost) that Aspen and I can enjoy during the freezing, wintry months ahead. We already go to the Library once a week, and I purchased a pass for the Treehouse Museum, but I want more options as the weeks wear on.

Mormon Moms Who Blog posted a list of free activities (mostly in SLC) and I'm so excited about it. Highlights include:

-Free admission to the Tracy Aviary every Wednesday, starting November 11 and going through February 2012.
-Free admission to the Utah Museum of Fine Art the first Wednesday of every month
-Free admission to the Hogle Zoo the last Wednesday of every month in Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb.

Yes, we might freeze our faces off at outside venues, but it could still be fun! For more information, check out the full listing of activities here.

ashmae is all the rage these days

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

If you've ever read a blog (especially one associated with Provo) then you've probably heard of ashmae. She has a shop on Etsy with gorgeous watercolors, everything from personalized portraits to animals, to LDS temples.

Naturally, I fell in love with this one:

Aspen, what does the kitty say?

2011-10-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Aspen is a noise-making fool these days, and it seems amazingly appropriate that when coming home from Park City she learned to "meow" with Emilie. Why was it amazingly appropriate? Because I had purchased this kitty tee from Old Navy for less than $2 that very same day.

To make it an even sweeter deal, Aspen also learned the sign for kitty. Meeee-YOW!

Park City baby

2011-10-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

I got Aspen a long-sleeved tee very similar to this, but with a very different price tag than what the J.Crew site lists. That is why outlet shopping is so amazing; the discounts sneak right up on ya!

Crew Cuts is an awesome line of over-priced clothes for kids, but when I can find something for less than $15, I like to splurge. Especially since I get a large size that Aspen can grow into and wear in the years to come.

And really, how can you pass up a shirt covered in sequins? Aspen was mesmorized by it when I placed it in her lap. Girl's got good taste.

Call me a hypocrite

2011-09-30T11:45:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, yesterday I said Suave shampoo was CRAP. But guess what. I still love their body lotion.

Via FreeSamples4All I received a small bottle of Suave's new violet and sweet pea lotion and I immediately took the accompanying coupon and bought a vat of it.

Can you imagine? VIOLET AND SWEET PEA TOGETHER FOREVER! What a winning fragrance combination. It's subtle, and I love how the very common sweet pea scent is mixed with the violet for a little ooomph.

Now I'm off to try cross-breeding real-live plants so I can come up with my own delicious smells to rub on my skin.

Keep an eye out for my new shampoo commercial.

2011-09-29T11:39:00.005-06:00

Over the last couple of months I've been visiting a website that rounds up freebies available to the public. FreeSamples4All is legit and I've received some great products that I now use regularly.

All these years I didn't realize how CRAP Suave shampoo really is. I've never been picky with my hair care, and I have always purchased the least expensive shampoo/conditioner available that seemed to offer good results. With Suave I was eventually able to stretch my shampooing to every-other-day, but no longer.

Then I got a free sample of John Freida's Root Awakening line. And I didn't have to wash my hair for THREE DAYS. With all that free time I could have done something really productive! But I didn't. I just walked around feeling my hair and admiring how clean it still felt without washing for half a week. I figured that by spending a little more on a product I use less frequently, I come out even when it comes to cost. So I caved and bought it. I love it.

Everybody, Everywear: Colored Pants

2011-09-13T15:51:00.006-06:00

Do khaki pants count as colored pants? I mean, they're not the usual jeans I'd wear on a chilly day, so that's the point, right? This month's challenge over at Everybody, Everywear was colored pants. Lots of bloggers went all out and actually dyed a pair of pants, but since I forgot to care that much, I just pulled these cords out of the bottom of my pants pile.

Speaking of piles of clothes, I started a little wardrobe challenge for myself a few days ago. Instead of staring at my closet and then pulling out something at random, I'm forcing myself to go down the line of tops I have in order to see what I want to keep. I have so many tees, button ups, blouses etc and I fail to rotate them through my wardrobe enough to warrant keeping all of them. So... I just pull out a top and create an outfit around it. If nothing works, then the top will go away.

Yea! It's fun. You should try it.

Oh and yes, that is Aspen locked behind a gate watching Baby Signing Time from the hallway. She refused to let me open the gate and invite her into the living room. And she refused to put on pants at all, let alone colored ones.

Go find a giveaway!

2011-08-29T19:59:00.003-06:00

Do you take zillion photos? Yeah, me too. If you want to occasionally do something amazing with them, then you should enter to win a digital scrapbooking program from MyMemories. It's amazingly easy to pimp out your photos and organize the heck out of them. Head over to Liv(e) and enter to win!

Everybody, Everywear: Mixed prints

2011-08-09T18:57:00.005-06:00

I wear this outfit a lot. I mean, why not? Shorts = good. V-neck = good. Crazy mixed patterns = good. I might have even worn this last Tuesday, which wouldn't be a big deal except that Kev and I went to the same ice cream shop that we went to last Tuesday... which means the ice cream people are going to think that 1) I'm obsessed with ice cream, and 2) I don't change my clothes.

For this month's Everybody, Everywear challenge I wish I had taken some time to put together a new crazy mixed pattern outfit, but I didn't feel like it. Aspen and I spent the afternoon in the kiddie pool and I needed to change quickly so I could fill her tummy with watermelon afterward.

So we'll settle for stripes and plaids and call it good.

How great would this look under a cardigan?

2011-07-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

via Madewell

You gotta do what you gotta do.

2011-07-14T16:41:00.004-06:00

I just devoured Girl in Translation yesterday. I mean that literally. I picked it up from the library around 2, and by midnight I'd finished it. I read while Aspen napped, and then got really serious after she went to bed.

Jean Kwok used a lot of her own life experiences to write this novel, and I'm just amazed at what immigrants go through in order to make a life for themselves in America. Although I sometimes daydream about up and leaving my city, I never think about relocating to a new country where everything is foreign to me.

An element of the book I liked a lot was the use of Chinese phrases- like, the literal translations of what would have been said between Kimberly and her family/friends/coworkers. It's so hilarious how things come across the cultural barrier.

For easy summer reading, definitely read this book.

Everybody, Everywear: Yellow

2011-07-12T21:09:00.003-06:00

It rained in the morning, making these strappy flats the perfect shoe for running errands. But when the sun came out and warmed things up, I was dying. I needed me some flip flops!

Aaaaand after dinner Aspen burped and then puked on me (she was REALLY full) so I changed my shirt... Needless to say, this is the only proof you'll have that I wore yellow today for Everybody, Everywear's challenge.

How'd you do?

A mere coincidence

2011-07-12T12:21:00.003-06:00

Today is, in fact, the day to wear yellow for Everybody, Everywear. I am not, however, wearing these shoes for my pop of color.

Why is that? Well, because this pair of shoes, dubbed "Picnic Ready" by Shabby Apple, is NINETY-EIGHT DOLLARS. I don't spend that kind of money on shoes. Or even clothes. Or anything, really.

Despite the price, I do love them.

Don't forget!

2011-07-11T12:43:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we get to wear yellow!

Braided hair braided belt

2011-07-11T12:31:00.003-06:00

Summer is hot. With no AC in the Pink House and nary a breeze to be found outside, an up-do is a must on occasion.

Also, Maddie likes to sunbathe waaaaaaaaay too much.

Shine on you crazy diamond

2011-07-07T12:08:00.001-06:00

I am not a dancer. But sometimes I pretend.

Blowfish shoooooooooooes

2011-07-05T11:31:00.004-06:00

Mikki hosted a couple of giveaways recently and I won a pair of Blowfish shoes. The best part? Blowfish let me choose any pair I wanted. They had awesome customer service, and when my Casita wedge sandals arrived, they included a 15% off coupon. Now, because I just received THREE PAIRS of free shoes, I'm not going to spend anything on yet another pair right now. But it's awesome that Blowfish is doing so much for shoe lovers everywhere. Besides being well-made and comfortable, they're well-priced to boot (haha pun intended).

The wedges look awesome with shorts and I'm actually looking forward to pairing them with tights and a skirt this fall. I was a little nervous that they wouldn't be super-comfy (that's a rule I live by) but even with a zip closure on the back, my heels are blister-free.

Have you picked up any fabulous shoes recently? Are you one of those people who sacrifice comfort for fashion? If so, SHAME ON YOU! You can have both!

Mellow Yellow

2011-07-05T08:00:00.002-06:00

Find something yellow and cheerful for July's Everybody, Everywear challenge! Yellow is the pick, so add it to your outfit on July 12th.

I like this challenge because it gives me a direction for at least ONE outfit a month. And I've virtually met some sweet people via the postings on EBEW's website.

Good luck! Remember, it can be a lot of yellow or a little. Don't feel intimidated. Heck, it could just be some yellow earrings.