30 Before Thirty

nicole spinella

i love this!! i have a list as well, though mine is a to-do before i have kids! any suggestions??

best of luck to you. ns

Port of France

Here’s a video from a makeup artist I love on how to apply the liquid eyeliner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVWUmGT_suI

Here is a how to wiki with good basic tips regarding application:
http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Liquid-Eyeliner

Good luck on your quest! I turn 30 this friday! It’s scary and awesome all at the same time. :)

Lisa

Awesome list! I turn 30 in 26 days, maybe I’ll have to make a shorter list ;)

For me, the key to liquid eyeliner is removing the excess. My eyes are pretty small, so I prefer it really thin and close to my lashes. I paint on as nicely as I can (which is still somewhat messy) and then use a Q tip to even it out. Works like a charm.

Sarah

The year I got pregnant with my son I decided printing digital prints was an exercise in futility so I decided to make a photo book at the end of every year instead. I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s so fun to go over the past year and pick your favorite shots. Plus, I leave it on my coffee table and all my family members love it. I did my last one through blurb.com and they have great prices. I’ve only done it the past two years but I can’t wait to see them all lined up on a shelf one day!

Just a thought :)

Also you inspired me to make my own list!
http://nicholasandsarah.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-lists.html

Nuit

That list is sooooo funny (and long LOL) I love it.

Good luck with all of that ;) I think you will do it all…

xo

jbhat

No wonder I feel like I never accomplish anything of signficance. I don’t have a list like that. You have inspired me to create one. Thanks! I like your list. It has some really worthy ideas and some super fun ones too, to help make the process of actually accomplishing things not be an arduous one.

By the way, I think your first 29.5 years have been amazingly well spent (from what I can tell from your Lovely blog anyway). You are so good at everything you do, and seem to be filled with lots of motivation and determination. Here’s to the next segment of your life…including and beyond the next 6 months!

jbhat

Jane @ The Borrowed Abode

PS: Have you tried creme eyeliner? I got some on a whim and have been addicted ever since. It applies perfectly with a little angled brush.

Zsofi

I had promblems with the eyeliner too. But for this Christmas, I get this one from MAC:
http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT151&PRODUCT_ID=4253
It is very easy to use and your work will never get smudged :).

Kari

Even easier way to get a liquid eyeliner look – the MAC gel eyeliner in a pot, and a tiny angled brush.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT151&PRODUCT_ID=898

Lisa @ simple-e-design.com

Love your list and TOTALLY share your desire to paint the trim. I just wrote about it here: http://www.simple-e-design.com/2010/02/choosing-the-right-white-for-trim/ Can’t wait to see how yours turns out! Best wishes on accomplishing everything! Lisa

lindsey clare

re #29 – i like this one! i stopped using paper towels about a year or so ago. now i just use rags (made from old clothes; tshirts work pretty well). i fold them up and keep them under the kitchen sink, then just throw them in a bucket in the laundry and wash them all together. it’s really very easy and feels good!

catherine

what a great list!
about the eyeliner thing..when i first started using liquid eyeliner, i could never get it close to the lash line without making a complete mess or looking slightly deranged. so what i started out by doing is drawing a line with a pencil eyeliner and using it as a guide for the liquid, so that i could see where i shouldn’t go over with the liquid. it also means if you don’t get it perfect up to the lash line, it’s still filled in with pencil.
hope this helps you!
xo

Audra

I just turned 30 in October, the week my son was born!

2 things – I use Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner – I have for years and I love it. It takes some practice but the applicator on this particular brand (Almay also makes one that is not too bad) is not as flimsy, giving you more control when applying.

Secondly, I have two little tattoos and I am considering a third. I think that if you want it, you should go for it! They are fun and I figure when I am old and they fade, I will be old and faded myself so we will all be aging together (me and the ink!) and they will remind me of the times I got them and make me smile.

cheryl

Great list from creative to practical pursuits. And good luck on the soda thing – that would be nearly impossible for me! It’s my one addiction, well, save shopping :)

jane

Not to add to your list of things to do, but maybe you could do another post on how to apply eye liner and put in all of the helpful comments in this thread—there are so many here!
I would like to refer back to it myself. ;)

Georgia

I kicked soda out last year & don’t regret a second of it. For me, cutting it out came in stages. First I started with replacing soda with tea (Trader Joes bottled Pomegranate tea was my drink of choice, it does have quite a bit of sugar in it not to mention more caffeine) however, I did this for as long as I wasn’t “missing” soda anymore.

The 2nd stage was cutting back the tea, and introducing sparkling water (Also from Trader Joes or Pellegrino) until I was completely used to exclusively drinking sparkling water all the time. Now, if I’m out for lunch once every few weeks I’ll fill a fountain soda cup about halfway, but am surprised on how jittery & buzzed I feel to have a few sips of soda. So many restaurants offer bottles of pellegrino, and I don’t have to give up that bubbly fizzy feeling that I always craved from a soda.
Hope this helps you. I know you can beat it!

Karlie

Blue Lily Photography is coming to Chicago in July. You can go to their blog and see the dates that they have available. We have already snagged up one slot. They are the ones that took the now famous portrait of NIenie and her family in the orchard.

HollyP

As long as you don’t expect perfect pad thai… I have a dear friend whose mother is Thai. She told me it took her over a decade to cook pad thai that her kids describe as good as grandma’s.

Great list, and enjoy working on it. After seeing your lovely home and beautiful work, I’m shocked that you are so young!

skycake

Bravo! Life is what you make it, sister. You will have such an amazing sense of accomplishment when you complete this list! Whenever you have a doubt about tackling it, just think “why shouldn’t I be able to do this? it’s just life! there’s plenty of time to do everything I want!” :)

a few thoughts…

5. Stop drinking soda. And get creative while you’re at it, there’s so much to explore and you may find that perfect non-alcoholic party cocktail while you’re at it (let Stevia or Splenda be your friend too): http://www.marthastewart.com/non-alcoholic-drink

8. Sew a dress for Eleanor. Both you and Eleanor will love this dress forever.

9. Clean out the basement. (It’s getting scary down there.) Just think, “if I get ‘hit by the bus’ tomorrow, would I want friends or family to have do this instead of me?” Probably not. Pick a weekend, get a dust mask and some good gloves, set up the stereo and dive in.

14. Print the bajillion photos I have stored on my computer and put them in albums. Don’t feel bad if this one is not done by your birthday! It took a lifetime to make all those photos, it may take many hours over several months to accomplish this project in a way that satisfies your every creative urge and need.

20. Find my perfect shade of lipstick. I’m 35 and have been looking for the perfect lipstick for 20 years. What I have found is that the combination of 2 or 3 shades is usually the perfect match!

21. Decide for good whether I want a tattoo or not. My tattoo of our solar system was designed by my husband and sits between my shoulder blades. The fact that it is something that I love (“outer spaaaace!”) created by someone that I love (hubby) and that it’s not always visible to me have made my tattoo something personal and intimate and fun. If you decide to get a tattoo, choose something that you will always admire in some way (like a bird symbolizing freedom and mobility, etc.)

22. Pay off my credit card. This is doable and worth the effort. Stash cash in a jar in your house if it makes it easier to accumulate the funds for paying down the debt.

24. Have a date night with Brandon at least twice a month. This is quite possibly the most important thing on your list! There’s nothing quite so special in this life as relationships with people who REALLY KNOW us and actually love us anyway.

27. Sing along perfectly to “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”.
SING IT ANYWAY! even if you don’t know the words. :)

Estelle

I turn 30 this September too! This totally inspires me to make a “30 before 30” list! Awesome!

Jessica

I see you’ve already got a recipe in mind (from the venerable AB, one of my faves), but if you’re interested I have a killer (and so far, foolproof!) pad thai recipe that I’d be glad to share with you. It’s not hard to do, but you MUST, MUST, MUST have good mise en place, and a big nonstick skillet. Pad thai ingredients lists tend to be pretty long too, but luckily it works great as refrigerator velcro.

Marie

Love the list, I need to touch mine up some. I’m in the middle of 3 hour drive back from Chicago to Indianapolis in a driving rain storm, my husband is driving and I’m surfing my favorite blogs (yours is one of tops). We where in Chicago for the weekend for a little fun and to visit our son at SAIC, he is lucky enough to be in his junior year at this amazing school. I noticed that one of your before “30” list is to tour the new Modern Wing at the school. They are so proud of it staff and student, if you would like a personnal tour please let me know he would be so happy to show it off to someone who truely gets ART. I’m the only one in the family who wants to see it for the 90th time and still loves it. Marie

Jo-An

Great list! You and I share the same birthday, although I’ll be 36 this year… 30 seems like a lifetime away :)

Jillian

Great List! Here’s an even better idea for the photos though… make digital scrapbooks!

My absolute favorite in both style options, layout and book quality is shutterfly. They are hands down the best. Also they let you store unlimited high quality pictures for free.

I’ve ordered over 10 and they are seriously amazing. Also just and FYI they do a 20 – 30% off sales several times a year.

Cheers and good luck!
Jillian

Nicole

I came across you blog, I love it! It’s crazy as we share the same birthday and first name… But you blog is so inspiring and I have decided to start my own list of 26!
Thanks for the great ideas.

Katie Stephenson

This is one of the best lists I’ve ever seen. I’ve also tried to really reduce paper towels and I use the really cute 50cent white towels at Ikea with the red stripes. They wash really well and I have drawers full of them. I also want to let you know that my husband and I do date nights at home sometimes. After baby goes down, one of us goes for the dinner, we sit and eat in front of the fire and play games, etc. It’s fun if you can’t get a sitter often. We usually get a sitter once per month or so. Just an idea. Excited to see you checking these things off of your list.

Erin

I can do #27. And my hint from this side: it’s all about putting the breathing in the right place. :)

Val

Love the list! I think it is a great idea to put some challenges out there for yourself & maybe I’ll give this a shot.

For #14 I recently started getting my photos done into books. I really loved the photo books by Picaboo & by Pixable. These would make it a lot easier to get this crossed off your list.

#22 is an incredible goal! Hubby and I just paid our CC’s off and it feels awesome.

Good luck with finishing these!

Natalie

So, now that you have perfected your liquid eyeliner technique, any tips on how I can do the same? I just switched over from pencil and I’m having the toughest time with it! :p

Elisabeth@YCCII

Where is “learn how to swim”? Maybe you can put that on your 40 Before Forty list. You totally need that Anthropologie swimsuit, and so do I!

CT

I love your list and am hijacking it. Probably won’t be able to finish it, but trying should be fun.

:-)

amy

wow, what a cool idea. i’m 30 in a month, so i would need to do 30 things in 30 days!

Bethany

I have a Pad Thai recipe… very very good. From a recipe book called “reBar” – famous now all over but located near me on little Vancouver Island. If you like to experiment with yummy food that’s a little different… try this book :)

loving your 30 before 30 posts. Very inspiring :)

(copy and paste link?)

http://www.amazon.com/Rebar-Audrey-Alsterburg-Wanda-Urbanowicz/dp/0968862306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279743034&sr=8-1

Erica

I need to do #22, #11 sounds delicious. Great list!