Wednesday, October 29, 2014

We Were Nominated for the Liebster Award! Yay!

We have been blogging for a few months now, and we're so glad to have met awesome bloggers and their inspiring blogs! Blogging opens a lot of doors to amazing opportunities, such as the Liebster award. This award is for bloggers with under 200 followers, and blogs are nominated by other bloggers. We were nominated by Stacy at Anastasia Vintage. You should definitely check her blog out! She has so many gorgeous projects on her site that you can buy or use for inspiration in your home. Plus, her writing is so well done and entertaining. Thanks, Stacy!

Below, I (Livi) have answered 11 questions that she gave me, and then I will nominate 11 other blogs with less than 200 followers. They will answer 11 questions and repeat the process.

1. How did you decide on the title of your blog?
I wanted to blog with my mom, who shares a lot of the same passions as I do. We both go by nicknames that sound similar, and we thought it would be cute to put them together as our blog name, hence Vicki and Livi!

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why? 
I think "creativity" is a great way to sum it up. Our passion for creative activities is what inspired us to blog, and most of our posts are related to creativity. Even our posts about faith can relate to creativity since God is the ultimate Creator!

3. What's your favorite pastime other than blogging?
I love baking and crafting. I love pretty much anything creative! It's also not uncommon to find me spending too much time watching Gilmore Girls.

4. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
I love using blogging to share ideas with people. When I feel inspired or I am excited about a project, it's fun to write about it and share the post on social media. It's also a great way to find other blogs!

5. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you most like to try yourself? 
I love the DIY Deskless Drawer on Stacy's blog, Anastasia Vintage. I love the idea of an organizer for keys and mail by the front door. Right now, stuff like that gets dumped on a desk near the door, which can look cluttered. Also, my sunglasses need a home when they're not in use! :)

6. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from a lot of different places, but mostly from other blogs and Pinterest. I love finding ideas that are awesome and making them my own. Blogging is great because you find people with similar interests and they inspire your work.

7. What is one country in the world you would like to visit? Why?
I have always wanted to visit France. I love the French language and culture. Paris would be my first stop, but I would definitely want to visit Marseilles and see the countryside. I would eat lots of bread and cheese while on a picnic on the beach of the Mediterranean, and it would be heavenly.

8. If you have children, what are their names? If not, what are your favorite boy & girl names?
I don't have children now, but I really love the names Emma and Eli. I also like bohemian names like Sage. I would love to use the name Olive for a little girl, but my name is Olivia, so I think those might be too similar.

9. A long lost relative leaves you a large sum of money. What do you do with it?
My first impulse is to buy lots of clothes (which I probably will soon tire of and then I will find an excuse to buy even more clothes...) Craft supplies are also something I love to buy. In the end, my husband, the future accountant, would tell me to save most of the money. So, we would save a lot of it for the future.

10. In your opinion, what is the best blog post you've written so far? (Include the link!)
My favorite post that I have written is the Beach Date Night at Home. I love planning at-home date nights with my husband. My favorite part of these dates is that they are realistic and easy to replicate, so anyone can do them with their spouse. They're also just really fun!

11. What is your favorite food? 
Chocolate is definitely my weakness and my all time favorite food! As far as substantial food, I love salmon. So, hopefully, the healthiness of the salmon balances out the unhealthiness of the chocolate! :)

So, here are my nominations (based on number of facebook followers for their blog page):
Alysa @ AlysaLovely
Shelby @ Shelby Clarke Blog
Natalie @ Polka Dots & Pampers
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
Heather @ Broken With Remedy
Alexandra @ With a Heart in Danger
Marissa @ My Old Heart
Martha Kate @ Seasons with the Strattons
Samantha @ Moving Peaces
Jen @ La Vida
Neive @ The Aussie Osborns

These are the steps to accepting your award:
  • Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person that nominated you (see below). Please comment on this post with your link when you are done so I can see your answers!
  • In your post, link back to the person/blog who nominated you and give a little thank you shout out.
  • After completing the questions, nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers on the social media platform of your choice, and give them 11 questions of your choice.
  • Notify your nominees of their nomination, and provide a link to your post so that they know what to do.

These are your questions (I loved Stacy's questions, so I've kept them the same!):
1. How did you decide on the title of your blog?
2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why? 
3. What's your favorite pastime other than blogging?
4. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
5. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you most like to try yourself? 
6. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
7. What is one country in the world you would like to visit? Why?
8. If you have children, what are their names? If not, what are your favorite boy & girl names?
9. A long lost relative leaves you a large sum of money. What do you do with it?
10. In your opinion, what is the best blog post you've written so far? (Include the link!)
11. What is your favorite food? 


Congrats, ladies! I loved finding your blogs and I will continue to read them! :)

Monday, October 27, 2014

Geometric Triangle Manicure



Nail art is a great way to express yourself and stay on trend at the same time, but I usually don't have the patience to spend an hour doing my nails. ​

The other day, I did my nails in a simple geometric design that was ​
​fun and quick.
I used a gorgeous sky blue color by NYC called "Skyline Blue". I love the low prices of NYC nail colors. For the triangle, I used Essie's "Penny Talk", which has been my favorite nail color for a long time.​ 
This color is classy and trendy, and it works as an accent color​
 ​ as well as a base color.

For the triangle, I put tape on my nail where I wanted the edges of the triangle to hit. Then, I painted from the top of the nail to the tape.


What are your favorite nail art designs? I'd love to hear them!​


I have not received payment or compensation for mentioning these products, I just personally like them.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Inexpensive Ways to Show your Alabama Crimson Tide Pride

Inexpensive Ways to Show Your Crimson Tide Pride

Alabama football is so fun to watch, and I love being a fan. There are a lot of ​(girly) ​ways to show your Crimson Tide pride without having to spend very much. Here are some ways to pull that off:



1. Use Crimson and Houndstooth Ribbon

This is a more subtle way to show that you're a fan, and it's perfect for decorating. Get some pretty crimson and houndstooth patterned ribbons and stick them anywhere! You could wrap these ribbons around vases and jars, make a garland with them, or even tie curtains up with them. You could also add these ribbons to pillow covers or use them to add a bow to a frame.​ These ribbons would go really well with some twine or rope for a rustic look.

Crimson Tide Home

As for accessories, those ribbons would be perfect for making a headband or hair bow. You could also make a simple ribbon belt with them, or turn the ribbons into a necklace.​ 
Tying houndstooth ribbon onto the straps of red flip flops would be super simple and quick.

2. Dress in Crimson and Houndstooth
If you have a houndstooth scarf, all you have to do is wear it with crimson shirt! Or vice versa. It would be so cute to wear a red shirt with a houndstooth skirt. Any clothing combination using these would be adorable and work really well. You can find a lot of houndstooth dresses and skirts. It's nice being a fan of a team with pretty colors/patterns!

For more inspiration, see my post about Crimson Tide Fashion.

3. Make it Yourself
If you have some sewing skills (or in my case, if your mom does!), you can design and make your own Alabama-themed shirt or scarf, which would probably end up being less than buying one already made. I love thinking of fun designs for clothes, and it's a great way to make a unique shirt to show off your pride.

For the shirt, you could make one or buy a red or houndstooth one. You could incorporate an elephant design, houndstooth and crimson, and words like "Crimson Tide" or "Love Alabama" on the shirt. To do this, you could cut and sew fabric in the shape of an elephant onto the shirt, find an iron-on letters or patch in the shape of an elephant, or print the design on iron-on material to transfer to the shirt. You could even add those ribbons as well! You could also use fabric markers to draw on the shirt, or use a bleach pen in the same way (directions for using a bleach pen to add designs to a shirt are easy to find on Pinterest).

For a scarf, you could simply make a circle scarf with red and houndstooth fabric, and you could even add a cute elephant design with an iron-on patch.


For other DIYs, you could also paint a simple Alabama "A" on a canvas or wood in crimson and white, or draw it on paper and frame it. Another idea is to add it to simple coasters. 

My father-in-law recently made a ping pong table (which the whole family has fallen in love with) and painted it red. He added Alabama themed duct tape as a border and Alabama decals on the top of the table. Another idea is to make personalized corn toss boards by painting the Alabama "A" on them. There's really no limit to the ways you can show you're a fan!


How do you show your Alabama pride?


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Review of the Dean's List VoxBox


I was so excited to find out that I was chosen for a VoxBox from Influenster. I heard about influenster.com from a blogging group that I'm a part of on facebook. You sign up and connect your social media accounts to your Influenster account. Then, the site tells you your impact score, which is based on how many people follow you on social media. You also answer questions, what they call "snaps", so that Influenster can find out more about the types of products you like. Then, you wait to be chosen for a campaign. It's good to check your account frequently because more snaps will appear over time. Once you are chosen for a campaign, you are sent a VoxBox. This box is full of awesome free stuff for you to review and tell your friends on social media about. 

The Airheads Bites are missing because I ate them before taking a photo of the box contents. :)
I just got my first VoxBox, which is the Dean's List VoxBox for college students. It got here about a week ago, and I've had so much fun using my new, complimentary products. This is what I received:
  • Pilot FriXion Clicker Pens: These pens are so cool. I love gel pens because they write really smoothly. The best part about these is that the ink is erasable. So, these are easy to write with and they erase really well. Erasing the ink doesn't damage the page, and it's as easy as erasing pencil. Also, it doesn't leave eraser shavings. These pens make my notes look so much cleaner since I don't have a bunch of scribbled out words.
  • Softlips Cube: I was so excited to try this lip balm. I love that it comes in this sophisticated cube. I got the mint scent, which is so fresh smelling. It glides on really smoothly, and it contains SPF, which is a big bonus. My lips feel so pampered.
  • Airheads Bites: This candy was delicious and reminded me of my childhood. I loved the flavors, especially watermelon and blue raspberry. The flavor was unique and tasted just like the regular Airheads. Yum!
  • Playtex Sport Fresh Balance Tampons: These are lightly scented, and are perfect for me since I just started playing intramural volleyball at school. I love that they are made for being active. The scent is fresh without being overpowering.
  • Luden's Watermelon Throat Drops: I love watermelon! I love that these don't taste like typical cough drops. They also have blue raspberry flavor, which sounds really yummy. These are a great way to brighten up your day when you're not feeling well.
  • SinfulColors No Text Red Nail Polish: This red is gorgeous. It's a crimson shade, which is really elegant. I love the message behind the nail polish as well. It's a campaign to keep people from texting and driving. The idea is to paint your thumb nail red to remind yourself not to text and drive. I think this kind of message is valuable.
  • Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes: These lashes are gorgeous. They look natural and are so glamorous. They're so fun!
I love my new Pilot FriXion Clicker Pens!


I had so much fun receiving and reviewing this VoxBox! Influenster is an awesome website, especially for bloggers and people who love social media.

Which of these products would you try?


I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.