{every blogger's dream}

Today & tomorrow I'm headed to Brooklyn to attend the I Heart Blogshop workshop. I've wanted to go for over a year now & today's finally the day! I originally didn't get in & was SO bummed to be on the wait list...but then the clouds parted! & someone dropped out! Hooray!

I Heart Blogshop was started by two best friends, Bri & Angela, in May 2011. They basically travel around the world & teach photoshop to bloggers. Every.single. blogshop sells out. I am feeling so lucky to be one of the attendees today. Someone posted on Facebook that she flew in from Glasgow to come. I mean, what?!?

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. Not only will it be fun for me to connect with other bloggers, but it'll help me make this a better blog. I'm sure I'll have more than a few tricks up my sleeve once I'm done :)

I'm going armed with my camera, so be ready for pics!

Here's some photos from past workshops...

Happy Wednesday! Half-way through the week!

*all photos from the I Heart Blogshop website & Facebook. I don't own them!

{diy project: oyster shell mirror}

DIY Oyster Shell Mirror

What you need:
- Mirror {it's easier to use one with a thick frame}
- Oyster shells
- Liquid nail or clear weld

My aunt Kimbie bought this simple, pretty mirror at Lowe's for one of the guest bathrooms. {I'm a Home Depot gal myself, so I was impressed by this find. Lowes has a style department?! Who knew?} Kimbie told me that on their drive from Texas to Florida, they always pass an oyster shucking company. She had this great idea to make an oyster mirror with the one from Lowe's, so she gathered the courage to sneak into the back of the factory one Saturday & take some. You see...they throw away all of the shells since they only want the oysters. Such a waste, right?!

Here's Kimbie gathering some shells:

Look at all of those shells! She said it smelled horrible, but she came home armed with buckets of beautiful oysters.

After cleaning & letting them dry thoroughly, we got to work.

Here's where I apologize for my photos. We worked out on the porch, and it was so.darn.humid. outside that my lens kept fogging over.

^^Best "before" shot of the mirror^^

1. Pick the shells you want to use & space them out on the mirror. This saves you time later so you're not searching for what shells to use. It also helps you figure out how many you actually need.

2. Spread glue on the back of the shell AND on the mirror. Repeat until you finish.

^^I used liquid nail, Kimbie used the clear weld. They were equally strong options!^^

3. We let the mirror dry for an hour & then went back to check on each shell. There were some that didn't really attach to the mirror, so we had to add more glue. Each shell differed in shape & size; some were more bumpy than others, therefore some needed more glue than others.

^^First layer of shells.^^

4. Once they were dry, we added a second layer on top of the first with smaller oysters to fill in the empty gaps.

5. Let it dry...then hang!

I LOVE it! 

It was one of the easiest projects I've ever done & it makes such a difference in the room. Kimbie has a ton of shells left over...I wonder what she'll do with the rest!

Thanks for letting me join in on this Kimbie! xo.

{fun, cheap beachy art}

My aunt & uncle's house in Seaside, FL is BEAUTIFUL. It's literally eye candy. I actually feel like I'm living in an issue of Coastal Living magazine. I'm hoping to snap a few pics later this week to show you.

The best part? My aunt Kimbie is a DIY queen with a capital Q. I can't tell you how many times I've asked, "Where did you get this painting/art/table/chair?" only to have her answer modestly, "Oh, well...I made it." :) Love people like that.

I noticed four mirrored frames in the dining room with happy words written within them. I thought it was a simple, understated art piece, but she told be she just hadn't found the right thing to put in them yet. Well...when she was in town this morning, she found 4 beachy cards and they were perfect! All we did was cut off the back and tape them in the matte. Total coast? $3!

This whole project happened so fast, I didn't have time to run upstairs & grab my nice camera. So phone pics it is.

^^grr, I hate glares.

LOVE!

{2013 family reunion}

I'm on a little vacation this week! My mom is one of six, & everyone lives in different places across the country. We cover everything: north, south, east, & west; so we decided to pick one spot & all come together for a week. Seaside, FL is the spot. MOST of the family could come, save for a few husbands & cousins who couldn't get out of work {we miss you!} & we've been having just the best time. My uncle has a house here big enough to fit all 20 of us & it's been so fun living under one roof for a while.

We were all laughing yesterday about our family & it's quirks. You see, most families stress over who's making the dinners, who's bringing the alcohol, & who's buying all the food.

My family? We worried over if everyone would finish Gone Girl in time to talk about it. What yoga class we should do together. And who would buy the bananas for s'mores on the beach.

Because we took s'mores to another level.

It was a delicious two hours. We were rained out the first night because this happened: 

But the next night was unreal. 

A few more...

dyl & my mom

pretend the lighting & quality of this photo isn't horrible!

More soon! I've got to get back to my family :)

{bits & pieces}

A quick note: You may or may not have noticed, but I took my Instagram feed off of the blog. I also made my account private. I did this simply because I had a few instagrammers spam my photos {ie. liking every single picture & commenting weird things} & it was beyond annoying. If you'd like to follow me though, just request! I'll accept ya, I promise :) @lively_liv
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I got a mini makeover! aka I got my haircut & colored.

I'm one of those people who only trusts one person to do my hair. & I'll drive 2 hours to let her do it. That would be Melissa Soon. She's been a friend of my mom's for over 20 years & has three {soon-to-be four} salons in NYC & Brooklyn.

I'm shamelessly plugging her here because she's just that awesome. Soon Beauty Lab. Go.

The first picture sort of shows my hair "before." It also shows that while I'm unemployed this summer {to a certain degree}, I've been living at the beach.

dark & long

light & short

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I had such a great weekend in Boston! I spent some time with the sibs, my college buds, & lots of family. My dad had tickets to Taylor Swift, so I went on Friday night with my bff. It drizzled on & off, but it was an awesome concert. We were happily surprised! She's always been a little shaky live {at least at awards shows} but the girl's got serious talent. Ed Sheeran opened & he was ah.may.zing.  It was quite a spectacle.

Also, it seemed like Ashley & I kind of stuck out in the audience. Because we were the only brunettes. Who weren't wearing red. Or a bow. Or 13. It was filled with mini Taylors.
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I've been working as the Young House Love Forum moderator for about a month now! I've been obsessed with them for years, so it's been a really fun side gig. Come over & join in on the fun!
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I put up another post on OAM Photo + Design. Still dying over that adorable baby.
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Happy Thursday! & OMG how is it already August?!?