diy: fun flirty summer nails

easy, fun ways to get creative with your nails this summer


during the summer months i like to get more playful with my nail polish. i don't do the store bought decals, rhinestones, or gemstones though, those just aren't for me. i have never been one to shy away from dyi projects, so i decided to google fun nail style ideas. there are a lot of talented ladies out there that have posted their own how-to's. these 3 were my favorites (click the links for step by step instructions):

mermaid nails - by cupcakes & cashmere 

newspaper nails - as posted to wikihow

lace nails - by behind the seams

i'm inspired, i think i might try doing my nails in a pastel rainbow tonight! :)

30 celebrations for 30

Ways To Celebrate Turning 30


I am going to turn the big 3-0 in about a month. I always want to do something to make my birthday special, and this is even more true since I am turning 30. Here are the things I came up with:


1. fulfill your Top Gun fantasies and take a ride in a fighter jet


2. sky dive 


3. go for a hot air balloon ride


4. have dinner on the beach and watch the sunset with someone you love. don't forget the bubbly and a desert with a candle!

5. SURPRISE party! this one is out of your hands but hey you never know, your friends may have your birthday all planned out.

6. throw yourself a throwback birthday party! cake, candles, party hats and maybe an adult pinata (filled with goodies like mini bottles of alcohol, lotto tickets ect)


7. take a trip to a foreign city you have always wanted to see. London, Paris, Rome... 


8. go to Las Vegas with a few of your besties and party like you did when you turned 21.


9. participate in a flash mob


10. go paragliding or parasailing


11. climb a large mountain


12. go to a concert of a performer that you LOVED in high school. Dave Matthews, BNL, or whoever. pick a group that made your summer back in the day, and bring some of your friends to sing along with you.

13. plant 30 trees


14. find a place that will let you drive an exotic car...like this place!


15. go on a local wine tour with your friends, finish the day out with an awesome dinner. make sure you get a limo so nobody is driving!


16. go to Tiffany's and buy yourself something to mark the occasion


17. have dinner at the very best restaurant in your area- make sure you dress up! if you are in NYC I highly recommend River Cafe (in Brooklyn) or Del Posto.


18.  throw yourself a party at a rooftop bar and dance all night long under the stars

19. swim with the dolphins


20. take a road trip all the way across America... Route 66!


21. climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty (you have to get tickets to do this)


22. have a professional photographer take your picture (why do we stop doing this once we are adults?)


23. charter a private sailboat for a sunset cruise, champagne is a must


24. find the "BIGGEST" something that is located near where you live and take a short day trip to see it... ball of twine, frying pan ect. If you are in NJ go see Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ. You will look back years from now and think, "what did I do for my 30th? oh yeah... ha ha that was silly"

25. take a beach vacation and have someone bring you pretty drinks on the beach while you relax


26. rent a party suite at a hockey or baseball game and root for your favorite team with all your friends.


27. plan a ski weekend or golf weekend


28. write a letter to yourself to read in 10 years


29. go see something that will take your breath away... Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, an iceberg in Alaska, a volcano in Hawaii, Badlands National Park, or even a decommissioned Saturn 5 Rocket.

  


30. go to the top of the Empire State Building, spread your arms out wide (like Jack in the Titanic) and announce to the world that you are 30.


Feel free to share with me your ideas of what to do or to tell me about ways that you have celebrated and what made your day special. Happy 30th Birthday!

my hand carved logo

i had one of those moments that i make fun of martha stewart for. martha always does incredibly difficult things, with many many steps and i always think, "really martha? seriously? you spent 3 hours on that and you could have bought it at target for a dollar!". well, I am sure many people are going to read this and think, oh yeah, elizabeth's lost it. but i had the time and the vision, and i knew i would not be happy with a store bought cookie cutter item that just anyone could buy...


i was thinking of ways to make my packaging stand out and decided to hand carve stamps. yes, hand carve. it's actually not that difficult- really!


i bought a block of soft stamp rubber. i drew out my logo in pencil on a sheet of paper and then darkened it, loading up the lines with as much graphite as i could. i then took my soft-block stamp and placed in on top of my pencil drawing and pressed down. the pencil lines then transfer to the stamp so you have an outline of your drawing on the soft-block now. i then took a washcloth that i warmed up in the microwave, and placed it on my stamp for a few minutes. this is to warm the rubber of the stamp, making the rubber softer and easier to carve. then i just carved out the negative area of my stamp. it took me an hour start to finish, i think it was well worth it.

stamp carving tool

birdie whistling doo-dah!

doo-dah!

inked up

they work!

this is going to be great for stamping tissue paper, gift boxes and bags. i will have brand uniformity, while still being uniquely me. martha would be proud! 

pearls

pearl, june's classy "birthstone"

pearls are classic and timeless. whether fresh water or salt water, both are beautiful! Fresh water pearls come from mussels that are found in both hot and cold climates. most freshwater pearls today come from China. Saltwater pearls come from oysters and are mostly cultivated in protected lagoons.


although pearls are not worn as often by today's younger generations, many style icons have cemented pearls place in fashion forward history.

Coco Chanel - the French  fashion pioneer, she put women in pants (thank you!) and was known to favor pearls.

Grace Kelly - American Actress and Princess Consort of Monaco.

Jackie Kennedy - elegant, stylish and the most regal woman the US has known.

Princess Diana - Lady Di, The People's Princess. Diana found her own style while at Buckingham and blossomed into a style icon who captured the world's attention . Pearls were one of her go-to accessories.

Michelle Obama - perhaps the current first lady is taking a cue from Jackie O, but with a modern twist of her own.

pearls from www.elizabethdoodah.com

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