lucy the elephant turns 130

Lucy is 130 years old this year. It seemed very fitting for me to visit her for my 30th birthday, since we are both July birthday girls. 

I had mentioned to my boyfriend a few times that this was what I wanted to do for my 30th, he is a true Jersey boy and yet he had never heard of her. In fact when I told people that I was going to see Lucy for my birthday, most natives of New Jersey didn't know what I was talking about.

My pilgrimage to see Lucy the Elephant reminded me of the movie "Michael", starring John Trovolta. Michael is not your typical angel and with his limited time to visit earth he obsessed about seeing the world's largest objects. Michael would have loved Lucy!

Inside of Lucy.

Top right, peanuts in Lucy's belly ;)

Left, the view from Lucy's eyes.

Margate's water tower.

Lucy's visitors have included several presidents... but this visitor is my favorite!

Atlantic city is a few mins away so we went there for dinner and to take in the sights.

Jersey love.

Old building in Atlantic City. Love the seahorse detail!

Inside of Caesar's they had lots of  Adirondack chairs lining the length of the building with huge picturesque windows. And sand!

Breathtaking view from the Adirondack chairs in Caesar's, Atlantic City!

Wish I had gotten a better picture of my retro dot dress. It was the perfect boardwalk dress!

Seeing Lucy was a very me thing to do for my birthday. I am sure most people don't get it but I loved it and I will always remember my silly, fun 30th birthday at the Jersey Shore! xo Lizzie

happiness is a new dress; dressy dress hangers for special events

I believe life is in the details. Yes, an icy daiquiri is good, but an icy daiquiri with a colorful little umbrella and a striped paper straw?- That's GREAT! And we all tend to make things more special for other people than we do ourselves. We save the "good" china for company, or have "guest" towels and "everyday" towels. I  say forget that! Who are we saving this stuff for? Who is coming over that is better than yourself?! 


I saw a magazine picture of a wedding dress hanging with a decorative wood hanger. Everyone knows the dress hanging before the bride puts it on is a great photo op and this bride thought ahead and purchased a hanger that said "Mrs. Zorn". click here to see the photo that inspired me I thought 2 things; 1)that looks super cute! and 2) I could totally make that.


I am not getting married, but I am wearing a formal dress to Jules Verne in Paris in a month! Why shouldn't my dress travel in style on a dressed up hanger?! Woo-hoo! - project time!

I drew out my idea before starting so that I had an idea of how big to make the letters.

Other ideas for what the hanger could read; "i do", "Bride", "EAL & JNT". Choose your wood color - blonde or dark. And dress the top of it with a ribbon or hang a shell from it if it is a beach wedding.

This was really easy to make, but if you don't have time (because you are planning your wedding!) or craft projects just aren't your forte, I would be more than happy to do it for you! Contact me! or click here to be linked directly to my store! xo Lizzie

i am 30. i don't feel old. i feel blessed.

It happened... I turned 30.


My birthday fell on a weekday, so we hadn't planned on doing much to celebrate. We are saving the big celebration for the weekend, but my boyfriend managed to still go above and beyond on my actual birthday.

I came home from work to find this! (yes, that is Lilly Pulitzer wrapping paper!)

Beautiful sunflowers!

I had left my pastels out after working on a drawing, and he used them to draw a beautiful sunflower on the envelope of the card he gave me!

Cheers! Pink bubbly in my kate spade larabee dot glasses!

He bought the pink cupcake holder and made me cupcakes!

Thank you Jeff, you are awesome sauce! Looking forward to part 2 of my birthday celebration as we head to the Jersey shore this weekend! xo Lizzie

take a moment tuesday; flower power nails and joss stone

It's the last day of my 20's and I am taking in every second of it! 2 things are making my day more beautiful...

My nails are party ready! I used Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. These were a total impulse buy! I was drawn in by the bright colors. I didn't have very high hopes for how my nails would turn out using these so I was shocked when they actually came out looking like the glossy poster on the end cap at CVS.

Contents inside the box.

Strips before application. The strips are made of real nail polish.

These were a lot easier to use than what I had expected. After I got the first nail done, the rest were a breeze. I got them all done in 30 mins and there is no dry time with these!

They come in many different patterns & colors (butterflies, houndstooth, blue jean, sparkle, etc). I went with the "Girl Flower" print because they were so bright and look like a party on my nails. 

Now that I have flower power nails it seems only fitting that I listen to Joss Stone's newest album! She released her CD today (7/26)! I bought it for myself as a birthday present and as usual I am impressed by Ms. Stone. It is a very different sound than what I expected or what I am used to, it's more raw and grown up with no sugary candy pop coating. This album reaffirmed why she is my favorite singer! The girl has talent and I look forward to hearing even more from her when she performs as a part of her new super group, Super Heavy! You put my favorite rocker (Mick Jagger!) with my favorite vocalist? I can't handle it! 

Hope you are having a groovy Tuesday! ;) Keep on truckin' towards the weekend! xo Lizzie

she comes in colors everywhere; bead making with polymer clay

I make my own beads for my projects from time to time. It's sometimes hard to find large focal beads that will work with what I am making and using polymer clay gives me full control of the look of my project. I can blend colors to get other colors and make beads as large or as small as I want. I made very basic beads, and created a video to show how I did it. These beads can get quite intricate and you really can create anything you can imagine. 

Short video of my bead making.

There are several brands of polymer clay out there. I have used Fimo and Cirnit, both of these brands are easy to work with and make for a great end product. The colors are bright and beautiful!

I always have so much fun making beads! It makes me feel like I am a kid playing in art class! xo Lizzie

summertime & the livin' is easy; refreshing rasberry mint mojitos

The sun is beating down on the tri-state and it's blaring hot here in New Jersey. I made a summer cocktail to cool off. The mint is so refreshing in this blistering summer heat and the raspberries make for a sweet gorgeous drink. I made ice cubes with fresh raspberries and mint leaves to give my drink a special touch.

Ingredients

7	small mint leaves, plus extra to garnish
7	raspberries, plus extra to garnish
½	lime
1 tsp	sugar syrup (equal parts water & sugar brought to a boil and then cooled completly)
40 ml	medium-bodied rum,chilled soda water, chilled

Larabee Dot Mojito Glasses, by kate spade.

Assembly

1	In a mojito glass, add mint, lime, rasberries and sugar syrup, muddle gently. (always put the mint in first, then your lime, followed by the raspberries and then the sugar syrup.)
2	Fill with ice, add rum and give the whole thing a good stir, lifting the mint up from the bottom and through the  drink.
3	Top with soda water and garnish with mint and a raspberry.

I use Tovolo Perfect Cube Silicone Ice Cube Trays. The silicone makes it a breeze to pop the beautiful cubes out without destroying them.

For a party, make a bunch of these cubes ahead of time and store them in a freezer bag in your freezer.

Vintage Glass Pink Elephant Stir Sticks, given to me by my Aunt Amy.

Vintage step ladder that I hand painted in high school.

Cool, refreshing and sweet, perfect for sipping by the pool! Cheers! xo Lizzie

make wine with us; new jersey wine making school

My boyfriend's Aunt and Uncle asked us if we would help them bottle their wine. This was the final step of a multi-step process that spanned several months. They had chose the grapes, crushed them, pressed the grapes and racked the wine in 3 previous visits. 


We were promised a good spread of Italian food and a few bottles of wine for our participation. We wanted to check this place out anyway, the food was just an added bonus! We had a great time and we are hoping to be a part of the full process this Fall when they return to make a a different variety called Barbera.

Filling the wine bottles, corking, sealing and labeling.

filled, corked and sealed

you choose your own seals (they have many to choose from) and you design your label!

Our first finished bottle!

had to test it out ;)

And we are finished!

We had 6 people and we bottled 10 cases of wine in under an hour. Make the wine with a few other couples and split your end product and price! Also great for couples who are getting married. You could  get your bridal party together to help you. With the custom labels, you will have a great favor to give your guests!

Make Wine With Us
address: 21 Currie Ave.
         Wallington, NJ 07057
phone: (201) 876-9463
website: www.makewinewithus.com