Fancy Pants

Today's SLC Groupon is $35 worth of fancy fortune cookies for only 15 bucks. Yum! I never knew a fortune cookie could be anything but regular! It's an online deal, so you can redeem from anywhere to which they ship!

With Valentine's Day coming up, this is a great deal (unless you're like me and Kev and you do your taxes for Vday).

Free business cards

As a member of Etsy, I receive periodic emails with tips for my shop. This week Etsy teamed up with Moo to offer 50 free business cards. Whaaa? Yup, 50 free cards. I was hesitant to do so becuase I already have cards for my Etsy shop and don't currently need more.

Then I browsed the products and found the 7 chakras as a pre-design and I was sold. Chakras originate from Hindu belief in 7 wheel-like areas of energy in the body, along the spine. The different chakras represent different things, and it's a goal to align these properly within the body. Above is the Sahasrara chakra (1000 petalled lotus), which is located at the crown of the head, and relates to inner wisdom and the eventual death of the body.

Hindu chakra lesson aside, I knew these cards would be perfect to spread the word about my Yoga and Pilates services.

I can't wait for my cards to arrive! I chose to have them printed on 100% recycled material and I look forward to handing them out.

iFly coupon

Have you ever been to the new Junction in downtown Ogden? There's the huge megaplex theater, the wave machine place... what is that called? FlowRider? There's Fat Cats, Costa Vida, Farr's Ice Cream (YES!!), Gold's Gym and the iFly.

Oh you know, iFly is INDOOR SKYDIVING.

And Groupon is offering you the chance to experience it for only $49. For $49 you can skydive for an hour, play in the wave machine and spend a day rock climbing their indoor wall.

Now, I've never done any of these things, but Kev has. He's actually done the skydiving thing twice, and the FlowRider a few times too (he has so much more fun than me). If you would also like to have more fun than me, visit Groupon (both SLC and Ogden are offering this deal) and buy before time runs out!

Bath & Body Works coupon

You know how much I love B&BW products. That's why I'm so happy to share this Ogden Groupon deal with you today. You can purchase $20 worth of product for only $10!! Or, buy $30 worth for $15 out of pocket (good online only).

Kev recently noticed my stash when he was looking for some "normal" lotion and he wanted to know why on earth I have so much lotion from B&BW. I told him I stocked up last year when I found out my two favorite scents were being discontinued! I reassured him they were all bought with discounts (like this one!).

Forever Sunshine is one of my new favorite fragrances, and if I hadn't already been interrogated about how much lotion I have, I'd be using this Groupon to add to my stash.



Some lovely scents might be the perfect V-day gift for yourself, don't you think?

Crafts for a map

This Etsy listing gave me a great idea for the maps I've collected for other projects. In the past, I've cut out places on maps and framed them so Kev and I could look at tokens of the trips we've taken.


I like the idea of not only cutting maps and repurposing them, but cutting them in various shapes. Placing these in a pattern on a wall would be a great way to show off your favorite places and bring lots of color to a room.

$20 Swedish Massage

Ogden's Borrowed Earth Emporium (BEE) offers a lot to the community; Yoga, crepes, coffee, and massages (to name a few).

And today, Groupon Ogden is offering a 57% discount on a one hour Swedish Massage at Borrowed Earth. For only $20 you can get all those kinks worked right out of your bod! If Swedish isn't your cup of tea, then for $30 you can switch to a ninety minute stone massage. I'm melting just thinking about it.

The Groupon is good until July 27. 2011, so buy now and use later!

Sex and the City inspired jewelry

Now that I've finally seen the movie (thanks KSL for showing an edited version!) I can appreciate this necklace even more.

Home-delivered groceries from Winder Dairy

There are two reasons I now hate grocery shopping: the cold weather, and having to take the baby with me. It's such a hassle, even though Aspen never has a meltdown or causes any trouble; it's just the fact that I have to haul around the car seat with the groceries that makes it difficult.

Cue home-delivered groceries from Winder Dairy.

Groupon SLC is offering a great discount for this program today only. For only $20 you get $50 worth of groceries, and they're waiving the $15 sign up and the delivery fees for your first order!

I've been considering a program like this for a while now, and can't pass up this amazing deal. I remember shopping Winder Dairy as a kid, and having the milk delivered to our home back in the day. Time to bring that back!

DownEast discount

DownEast Basics is having an amazing 50% off deal for this Curator Dress, TODAY ONLY for Facebook Fans.

You know what that means? It's less than $20. No special codes needed, just find them on FB and follow the link to their site. Be quick though because sizes are limited!

Free shipping at Victoria's Secret!

Until Wednesday, you can get free shipping on any order as long as you purchase a full-priced bra.

Ladies, it's SO WORTH IT.

My roommate in college worked at Vickies and I had her hook me up with the best bras I've ever owned. If I wasn't so poor now, I'd definitely get bras for my nursing boobies from VS. But alas, with the ever-evolving size of the girls these days, it would be quite a hefty investment.

Those of you who don't have that problem should certainly take Victoria's Secret up on this opportunity!

Evolve Salon & Day Spa

If you want to treat yourself (ok, or maybe someone else) for Valentine's Day, there's no better way than by getting pampered at a salon.

You can get 50% off services at Evolve Salon and Day Spa through Groupon's deal today. For $30, you can enjoy services valued at $60! There's no limits for what you can apply it toward, and the coupon is good until July 25, 2011.

Head over to see Groupon's SLC deal today and get spoiled!

Baby Bargain Monday on Amazon

Every Monday, Amazon has baby deals you don't want to miss. My friend tipped me off about AmazonMom (great service buying diapers and having them delivered for FREE!) and now I'm getting all sorts of info about other deals on the web.

Today's deal is a video monitor for about a million percent discount.

On top of AmazonMom, you can also sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, which makes you eligible for free shipping on all sorts of items, plus additional discounts.

If you don't already love Amazon, you'll start today!

Giveaway winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the CSN giveaway. Random.org picked commenter number 8 as our winner!

Lesley, please email me (livytay{at}gmail{dot}com) and I'll send you the promo code to redeem your $25 gift certificate to CSN.

Happy spending! Maybe you can buy your little one her very own camel pack :)

Over the weekend...

Liv's Favs received two awards! Many thanks to the ladies of A Lil Bird told me for the recognition.



Rules for accepting this award are:
1. Link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 other stylish and trendy bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.

7 tidbits about me:
1. I love Yoga, whether teaching or practicing
2. I could eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner
3. I'm addicted to blogging; I couldn't stop if I wanted!
4. The majority of my big furniture purchases are from IKEA and Ross
5. I learned to drive in a stick-shift, four-door Geo Metro aka, STEEL WHEELS
6. I'm in TWO book clubs
7. I asked my husband to help me make this list

6 Bloggers who are deserving of these awards (I know, I failed):
The Mundane Adventures of Miss Jess
Cardigan Empire
New Dress a Day
Indie Ogden
A Cup of Jo
A Little Sussy

Congrats!

Sweet Cake Bake Shop

If you looove sweets (I totally do; I'm eating cookies RIGHT THIS MINUTE) then you'll looove this daily deal from Groupon. It's up to $24 worth of yumminess for only 12 bucks. Yes!

Why is this so awesome? First, it's 50% off your order. Second, it's a gluten-free bakery in Kaysville. So anyone who has to shy away from gluten can still satisfy their cravings for cheap.

Hop on this deal! And sign up for Groupon to get discounts on products and services in your area.

Go find a giveaway!

I'm thrilled to offer yet another giveaway from CSN, which has thousands of products, ranging from swingsets to shoes, cookware to office supplies.

CSN will award one $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner (open to U.S. and Canadian participants).

For one mandatory entry, please become a follower of this blog and leave a comment. If you're already a follower, simply comment and tell me!

If you'd like an additional entry, please spread the word about the giveaway and link to it in my comments- via Twitter, Facebook or your own blog (one extra entry total). Giveaway will be open until midnight (MST) Sunday, January 23, 2010.

Thanks so much for participating and good luck!

50% off = yea!

Living Social's daily deal is a gooood one! Buy a $20 Amazon giftcard for only $10.

I snatched that up super-quick and just wanted to let you know about it too.

Head there via this link and get yourself a deal :) Pay no mind to the Washington D.C. location; you can sign up for your own region no problem!

This little gem is going to come in handy for a little something I have planned.

I sat by three ladies at church wearing these watches.

I haven't worn a watch since college, but when I started working last year for a new company, two of the Realtors had amazing watch collections. And they're boys.

It almost made me want to start wearing them again, but I never got into it. I started making my own jewelry and figured a necklace and a couple of rings were enough accessories for me.

But I've seen these watches everywhere, and I'm serious when I say that the three ladies next to me in church on Sunday were all wearing different variations of one. The Chunky Bling company is based in Provo, which is awesome because it's almost like supporting a local business, even though I'm in Ogden. I know people in Provo, can I support Chunky Bling on their behalf? Sure!

Chunky Bling offers watches, rings, bracelets and necklaces that you can either custom design or buy pre-fabricated.


A few years ago I bought my sister Sophia some faux-pearl bracelets and I've always wished I'd gotten some for myself too. I'm slowly adding to my bracelet collection (with the acquisition of my penny bracelet!) and this set of two is flirty and sophisticated.

If you're looking for a new watch face, or a new band for an existing piece you already have, definitely check out Chunky Bling.

A guilty pleasure

Kev and I fell victim to really bad reality TV the other night and I just couldn't get over what one of the "stars" said regarding her life:

"I wake up, and my kid is already in daycare, so what is there to do for eight hours?"

So... she spends her day in her parents' spa getting free treatments, she goes shopping, she sits around...

WHY DOESN'T SHE TAKE CARE OF HER KID FOR EIGHT HOURS?

Oh man. Even though it was mind boggling how she could be so clueless, neither one of us could turn the show off. I think it's a new favorite. At least when nothing else is on (yeah right).

Delight in baby clothes

Ages ago I won an adorable onesie for Aspen from My Baby D and I'm just now getting around to sharing it with you. My excuse... is that I had to wait for Aspen's hair to be less ugly before I photographed her in the onesie.

From the size of that baby belly I'd say she definitely loves boobies. My Baby D also has breast pads that are washable and reusable, which is a great investment for any breastfeeding mom. I recieved a free set of 20 around the time Aspen was born and using them saved me a lot of money in those early days of new-motherhood.

Check out the shop for some other cute and funny onesies!

How to do a trend the right way

I love me a good pair of boots. I also love me a good pair of jeans.

But guess what. Just because both the boots and the jeans are good, it doesn't mean you can stuff those pant legs into those boots.

ESPECIALLY Uggs. Those are NOT meant to be seen outside your pants. Uggs are comfy. Uggs are warm. Good for you. But please please please do not wear them outside your pant legs. It makes you look stumpy.

Additionally, just because your boot is dressier than an Ugg, it doesn't mean you should stuff wide-leg/boot-cut jeans into them. You're just asking to look 5 pounds heavier.

I think it's safe to say that only leggings or skinny jeans should work their way into your boots. Trust me.

Who cares if my house is messy?

For Christmas I purchased 3 canvas prints for Kev, each measuring 8x10. Actually, I only paid shipping for them because Canvas People was doing a promotion for free 8x10s. Yea! I love these prints and I'm so glad I found this deal so I could afford to add them to the unhealthy amount of Aspen photos popping up in the Pink House.

On one of Kev's vacation days for the new year, he helped me hang the canvases over his dresser. He picked that spot so he could look at Aspen's cute face whenever he wants.


And because I'm so not into making my life look perfect, I didn't even attempt to clean up the top of Kev's dresser for photos.

Just keepin' it real, yo.

What a coincidence!

I picture these booties paired with tights, maybe brown, topped off with a blue skirt with subtle pinstripes. A taupe, wrap top and gold accessories would totally seal the deal.

Oh wait, I have those things!

"Providing security through blankets."

When Aspen was born, she was sent almost immediately to the neonatal intensive care unit. It was hard to be away from her, and her Daddy didn't even get to hold her until hours after she was born.

Aspen is very fortunate because she didn't suffer from anything serious, and was released from NICU just over 24 hours after she was born. But we still got a Project Linus blankie. Project Linus is an organization that offers blankets to children in need and it's been around since 1995. On their website you can also get access to free blanket patterns (another reason I should learn to use the sewing machine Kev just got from his mom!). Aspen's blankie is simple, but it's special to me. It was there to cradle her when she was hooked up to tubes and monitors and she had to be all alone.

Sometimes when I can't get my little one to settle down, I pull out her Linus blankie. I'm so grateful that when I couldn't be with my baby, she had wonderful nurses and the handiwork of Linus volunteers to comfort and care for her.

If you have a minute, check out the Project Linus website and consider what you could donate to the National Headquarters or to your local chapter. Babies need lovies and you can help!

A Christmas wish come true.

Last year I found these slippers on LLBean's website and fell in love with them. This year I found them under my Christmas tree.

My parents got me a pair of my own and once I exchange them for the right size (I guessed wrong) I'll get to wear them all day long. I'm so excited! Maddie ate the pompoms off my current slippers so they just aren't as cute.

I'm no Betty Crocker but...

My mom got me and my siblings silicone baking mats for Christmas and I love love love mine.

I've never used one before and I actually let this one sit on my counter, unopened, for over a week after Christmas.

I whipped it out when making biscuits for a Sunday dinner and I don't know why I was so surprised when the finished biscuits just lifted right off the mat. Wahoo! If there's anything I hate, it's scraping food off pans, and then trying to clean the burned food and cooking spray off of one.

Not only can you get silicone mats for baking, but you can get muffin/cupcake liners made out of the same stuff. Super awesome.

Happy baking!

You're never too old for a good kid movie.

Kev and I really wanted to go OUT on a date last Saturday, but that didn't happen. Instead, we made the best of it by picking up chinese food and renting "How to Train Your Dragon" from Redbox.



There's absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a movie made for kids. It can be really refreshing to watch something "PG" and not have to worry about cringing at any of the content.

I think the movie does a great job of reminding watchers to consider a different perspective, and not to worry what others think. The animation was awesome and the dragons reminded me of Stitch. So cute.

Have you seen any fun kids' movies lately? I need to add to my collection for Aspen!

No explanation needed.

I'd like to thank Dooce for bringing this to my attention.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts.

I don't know why, but I've wanted a globe for a long time. Kev acquired a big map from work this summer that we tacked up in the living room, and it satisfied my globe craving for a while.

Additionally, I picked up a France atlas at WSU's book sale this fall and plan to use the maps for all sorts of projects (in the past I've made great use of maps customizing frames).

For Christmas, I hit the jackpot. Kev did some thrifting and surprised me with this absolute beauty.

Its condition is exceptional, and the globe rotates perfectly on its axis within the wooden frame. I love it so much that I put away the Christmas decorations earlier than usual so I could have space to display this. It complements the existing decor in the living room and it just makes me happy to look at it.

Merry Christmas to me.

Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card!

I started a book club in November and it's been so nice to read with the knowledge that I'd be able to get together with friends and discuss the book. It's much more satisfying, and it challenges me to pay more attention to my books.

The first book we tackled is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It's a real-life tale of her childhood years and how she and her siblings overcame their parents' weaknesses and managed to grow up not insane.

In December we read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I basically devoured this book. I could not put it down. Edwards writes a fictional story (based on popular beliefs in the 70s) about a family unknowingly torn apart by down syndrome.

If you're interested in joining the book club, please do! We meet in person as well as via Facebook (for those who are unable to attend in person). We have yet to pick our book for January, but we've entertained the Hunger Games series as well as a fantasy book by Edit Pattou entitled East. If you've recently come across a book you love, or would like to read then do share. We're open to all sorts of genres as a means of keeping the book club diverse and interesting.

But please please please do not suggest the Wheel of Time series. Kev adores it but I couldn't get through the first half of the first book (but I did go with him to a book release party, so I'm a supportive wife).

Movin and groovin

A friend gifted a $25 iTunes card to me and Kev for Christmas and I reaped all the benefits. I spent a lot of time browsing music and listening to previews.

I eventually settled on Be Ok by Ingrid Michaelson, Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor and a few singles (Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Jon Schmidt and Aqualung, to name a few).

Being married to a former DJ means that I don't usually have to lift a finger to get new-to-me music on my iPod. Kev just goes through his massive collection and makes lists of things he thinks I'll like. Then all I do is drag it to a play list and *poof* I have music I can drive to or use in a Yoga/Pilates class.





If you're looking for new music, check out these artists and let me know how you like them!