love these girls

How To Throw The Best Bachelorette Party For Your Best Girls!

by with No Comment adventureDIYlifestyleparty ideasspecial occassionstravelValentine's Day

It’s wedding season! For the type A/planner in me, I couldn’t have been more excited about gift giving and surprise planning than I was for this bachelorette party! My girl Linz is getting married in 3 weeks and I’m the maid of honor!!! This past weekend we celebrated her with a fun filled weekend in Vegas with the best group of girls you’ve ever seen, and I wanted to share with you all the fun things I did that you can use for your next Bachelorette/birthday/celebration! Also I suck at surprises and it was SO hard for me not to send the girls photos of everything I was doing.

giftbags
So I had these ‘Who Doesn’t Want That‘ totes especially made for Linz’s bach party  with the date, because it’s the best party favor … cute and functional! Yes it was over Valentine’s day weekend and we had THE best ever Galentine’s day I could even have imagined #girlpower

bachbags
So in the bags I put together a lil ‘survival kit’ for the weekend complete with a hangover kit:

  • smart water because dumb decisions
  • a ‘cheers bitches’ tank since this was our theme for the weekend
  • Reese’s candy, Linz’s favorite
  • Kind bars because we were meanies to our livers
  • a ‘no ugly crying’ hankie filled with my favorite products to ensure no faces fell off
  • Moscato wine because never enough
  • a pack of polaroids for the polaroid camera I brought because polaroids are lyyyfe
  • le mieux eye masks (didn’t fit in the photo)- best evaaar for dark circles & puffiness!
  • handmade tiaras that I made…with my hands thus they later fell a part!
  • and “I regret nothing” survival/hangover kits!survivalkitsIn these kits I put all my go-to items that you just NEED the morning after any kind of partying because survival mode:
  • my FAVORITE part of the gift bags: temporary tattoos that read “I belong to Linz’s bachelorette party. If I’m lost please buy me a drink!” (I mean….genius Etsy just genius)
  • ginger tea (aids in belly aches and nausea)
  • raspberry Emergen-C (tastes delicious and you need all the vitamins you can get)
  • nausea chews (these really do work!)
  • alka seltzer
  • kissy bandaids for any booboos (kissing a booboo makes everything better)
  • “To have and to hold….your hair back” hair ties with Linz bach note on it (cutest ever)
  • altoids
  • advil
  • glow in the dark rings so I could find my girls in dark clubs! We were likePower Rangers!

hankies

The ‘no ugly crying’ hankies folded into the perfect envelopes to hold some of my favorite ‘don’t let my face fall off’ products. Weddings will make you cry so I didn’t want anyone’s beautiful face to melt off:

  • Inglot blotting tissues (my favorite brand)
  • Blinc mascara that turns any mascara into a waterproof/ cry proof/ smudge proof magic-ness
  • my favorite lip liner that can double as blush and is perfect to layer or wear alone
  • Skindinavia’s setting spray (hands down the best) it’s time released and temperature controlled so when you start to sweat it kicks in high gear, hello dancing! (oh technology)

tiaras
These were the ‘cheers bitches’ tiaras I made….after about 3 attempts, 2 trips to Michaels, a return to Marth-freaking-Stuart, and gluing 2 of my fingers together…. here they are! Post on the how to’s coming soon! I did so much DIY for this party that you’d all be so proud of me…because DIY is not my friend!

linztiara
Linz’s bag had a few extra special items that I threw in there since it’s her big day I wanted even her martini cup to be wearing a veil! I got this tank from Etsy, and the tiara and matching cup veil cup came from Party City.

linzbag
I think what makes a person a good friend is different from person to person, and what makes Linz a great friend to me, consists of too many words that deserve their own post. So I wanted her to feel just as loved, so in her bag also went her favorite Lollia Wish body wash and lotion, a bridal emergency kit, a quirky drink sleeve (because truth), and the something ‘blue’ I got her was this garter I had made for her that matches the same blue as Tiffany’s, and has Swarovski crystals surrounding the center bow. I fell in love with it when I saw it and I wanted her to have one to keep since one goes to a lucky bachelor! Every girl deserves a Tiffany blue something!

Some things I couldn’t make and bring with was the traditional penis cake….what an awkward conversation to have to the hotel concierge about baking such a cake and delivering it to the room! But it was so fun and their cake was delicious! I brought along with me the penis straws, cups, shot glasses, and all things penis I could find on the internet and it made for an amazing time!

Do it big ladies! Go ALL out and laugh until you’re swimming on a flooded bathroom suite floor with girls you absolutely adore, while having a communal bath and rubbing one another’s feet! haha yup that all happened! I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better more beautiful and supportive group of girls to be around than Bailey, Linz, Ashlee, and Meghan who I spent an incredible weekend with (Dani you were missed girl!!!)! I got so much closer to them and I’ve known them for years! There was no drama, it was all love, all laughs, and all dancing! Top night ladies!!! #buttsout

polaroids

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week and party til ya need an IV in the mornin 😉 We did that too!

 

xoxo- Jess

 

Jess Golfs!

SPORTS AND FASHION!

by with No Comment adventurecharitycommunityfitnesssportstechnologytravel

I always find a way to incorporate my sense of style into everything I do…..including sports! Today I share with you this week’s goals and all of the week’s happenings…while wearing colorful kicks! I’ve been following the #ATTProAm which is being held just a hop and a skip away from where I am in L.A., and some incredible things have happened this week!

Let’s catch you up – I’ve been following the Foursome: Tim, Katie, Tiffany, and Dan who are receiving the VIP treatment for a Fan’s Eye View at this year’s #ATTProAm. You can follow them via twitter @TimLangGolf, @KtHorsford, @BlackGirlsGolf and @TheDanPlan.

Dan McLaughlin-2

This week I got to ask them each a few questions that I’m so excited to share with you! Some things they participated in this past week so far, besides an up close and personal experience during the event, they had the opportunity to meet with Veterans at the VTC Monterey and helped deliver food. They got to interact with kids at the Boys & Girls Club and be inspired by those they inspire, and they got to tee off on one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever seen!

I’ve been so motivated by their stories and found that I relate to each of them in a different way but in a way that reminds me that we are all so similar in life’s struggles and in life goals. So I decided to set some fun goals for myself this week!

Look I'm golfing!

My goal was to play the course in as few strokes as possible…which for me is usually an embarrassing 4+ strokes per hole. Starting off with a reasonable yet attainable goal for myself….that is key. So I took my skills out onto the golf course….yes that is a Putt Putt course. You have to start somewhere right, and for me it was just fun to focus on the basics of form and swing.

Hole in 1!
Golfing during the day with no one around, I was really able to experience how a sport like golf- when appreciated, can be so calming as it requires great focus and attention. It’s easy to find the appeal in it even if I’m not so great at it. I think people love it for that challenge and the competitiveness of it when playing against someone or in a competition. It takes strategy but it’s also fun. It doesn’t hurt that the sport is played outside, on a beautiful field, where you can also enjoy being surrounded by nature…I especially love that part of it. Here is my ‘happy nature’ smile.

Success!

Please be sure to check out the bios on each of the Foursome and see what about the sport they love so much!

Tim Lang:

Tiffany Fitzgerald:

Katie Horsford:

Dan McLaughlin:

 

Be sure to follow them for their event wrap ups! I’m looking forward to seeing what their favorite moments were! See you next week with more on next week’s goals!

xo – Jess

 

ATT_PB 30 YRS-Full Logo

This post is in partnership with AT&T, celebrating 30 years of the #ATTPROAM.

Exploring Pasadena

800 Degree Pizza And Posing…Lots Of Posing

by with 4 Comments adventureartcommunityfoodtravel

Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to explore new sights, sometimes they’re just a hop and a skip away. This hop and skip was a quick 20 minute drive East, to Old Pasadena. The main street is full of shops, restaurants, and art galleries. It was the perfect change of scenery to round out the weekend!

800 Degree Pizza

First stop after walking around for a bit was 800 Degrees – offering up Neapolitan style hand tossed pizzas, drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with imported Italian tomatoes. Perfect if you’re looking for a sit down pizzeria that features gourmet ingredients. Oh and it was sooo delicious! Crispy, cheesy, and their truffle pizza with mushrooms and arugula on top (featured above) is on my top 10 list of best pizzas ever!

Root Beer!
Of course Corrine got her favorite Root Beer, old fashioned and bubbly!

Yummy Letti Macarons
After lunch we walked around a bit, walking off the pizza and root beer, and found room for dessert of course! Lette’s Macarons drew us in with it’s sweet aroma of the classic almond treat. We got an assorted hand picked box and couldn’t have been more happy with the flavors! Chewy and just the right amount of sweet and savory. Of course we took a ton of pictures along the way….posing, always posing!

Artsy us

If you’re looking for a quick change of pace and are in the L.A. area, take a trip out to Old Pasadena, so many hidden treasures, shops, and old fashioned eateries. If you’re coming to L.A. I’d say make this one of the places you see before you leave!

I hope your weekend was awesome, let me know what kind of adventures you went on!

xo- Jess and Corrine

AT&T Pebble Beach

The AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro-Am And the “Fan’s Eye View” Foursome

by with No Comment charitycommunitysportstechnologytravel

For all of my fellow athletes and sports fans out there, this one’s for you! I’m so thrilled to be covering some of the excitement happening this year over at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and sharing them with you!

Let’s catch you up: this is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour,
held annually – every February, in Pebble Beach, California (wahooo that’s close to me!)

What does that mean? If you follow the sport of golf than you know that this is a pretty exciting time! What’s even more exciting is that this year, AT&T has invited four golf fans to the tournament to cover it from the fan’s perspective. More on why I’m so happy to have this Foursome represent all of us shortly.

So this February is the 30th year that AT&T is the title sponsor for the event, and they’re making it a special one by having this awesome Foursome come out to experience the event first hand! So if you aren’t able to make it out this year you’ll still be able to experience what it’s like to be there and what makes this tournament one of a kind.

I connected instantly with each of the four fans through their stories and I’ll explain why. First let me just say that they make we want to take my PutPut status to Professional!

Foursome_PB_HeadShots

Let me introduce you to the awesome Foursome that were invited out to the event and why I’m so excited to have them represent us while they’re there!

Meet Dan McLaughlin:

 Dan quit his day job as a commercial photographer (can I get a high five because we’ve all wanted to do this at some point but were too afraid to) to pursue golf professionally. I know first hand how scary it is to abandon a constant to pursue a dream. Dan spent 30+ hours a week practicing and perfecting a method he calls the ‘Dan Plan’. I’m excited to ask him what the ‘Dan Plan’ is and share with you his secret!

Meet Katie Horsford:

 Katie is 17 years old who has utilized golf as an outlet for her personal growth and as a motivational tool towards building her self esteem and personal identity. Like most teenagers her age, she found that navigating her way through life could be difficult and full of confusion. This is actually one of the reasons I pulled my daughter (also 17) out of high school after her sophomore year. However, through the sport Katie has developed into a confident and strong young lady and welcomes this exclusive opportunity, knowing that it’s one step closer to playing at Pebble Beach herself. I’m really excited to get to sit down with her and ask what her goals for this year are.

Meet Tiffany Fitzgerald:

 Tiffany left corporate America to take on an important leadership role. She founded the site, blackgirlsgolf.net, where she provides hands on instructions, ladies-only golf outings, and a supportive atmosphere for growth. As a woman of color, I am so happy to discover other women empowering one another and supporting one another in an encouraging way. She offers the education you need to be able to participate in conversation that you would’ve maybe have been intimidated by before. I’m excited to ask her what motivated her to become leader of such an amazing movement.

 Meet Tim Lang:

Tim is a Marine Veteran who after being terribly injured by an IED explosion in Iraq, utilized golfing as an amazing healing source and form of rehabilitation. He is a motivational speaker and is extremely inspirational to anyone who hears his story. He defied the odds and attacked his training with amazing perseverance and strength. I’m most drawn to his story because I grew up in the military world. My dad was a Drill Sergeant in the Army for 23 years, served tours abroad, and when he retired he found his peace in the sport of fishing.

 

I’m so inspired by each of their four stories and I can’t wait to experience all of the awesome things they’ll see and do while at Pebble Beach this year. The Foursome will utilize HTC devices and the AT&T Network to document their journey and share via social media during their week at the #ATTPROAM, and some things we can look forward to being documented are:

  • The Foursome playing in the Boys & Girls Club Pro-AM
  • Walking THE course with the Pebble Beach Historian
  • Teeing off on the iconic Pebble Beach course
  • Experiencing a meet & greet with pro golfer, Jordan Spieth

Not to mention they’ll also get to chat with some celebrities and help raise money for charity Golf pros! How amazing does all of this sound?! That’s just a splice of the activities that they’ll be participating in and documenting next month, so be sure to follow along on their journey as they share it all with us via social media. You can keep up with the Foursome via their Twitter handles and by following the #ATTProAm hashtag:

@TimLangGolf
@BlackGirlsGolf
@TheDanPlan
@KTHorsford

I’m beyond thrilled to share with you their responses to some questions I have for each of them and to get a more personal look at these four; as they get a more personal look at the #ATTPROAM for us! So stay tuned for an exclusive sit down with them and please follow them on Twitter (profile handles above), and you’ll use #ATTPROAM to keep up to speed with all of the happenings!

“The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.” – Bill Murray

Have a great week!!!

xx- Jess

[Tweet “Show me some love and tweet my post <3"] This post is in partnership with AT&T. Brought to you by AT&T, celebrating 30 years of the #ATTPROAM. All opinions expressed in this post are my own as with everything I bring to you. ATT_PB 30 YRS-Full Logo

Corriney's Photography

Exploring Downtown L.A.

by with No Comment artbeautycommunitylifestyletravel

Here’s an oldie but goodie from my Corriney who writes for our mother/daughter blog and sometimes for me here. Thought I’d share her post with you since everything she does makes me such a proud momma. So here is some of her awesomeness on photography and art, and if you aren’t following her words on that blog, please do. She wrote:

Here are some snaps from my eventful day of filming.

Corrine's photography of Downtown

If you didn’t know, I love art and I love making it too. I died from happiness a little when I saw this poster that said “Paint or Die”. Nice, nice, props to you friend, whoever posted this. Really though, paint or die. x______x

This whole wall was filllllled with posters and graffiti, stickers and paintings. People just pile it on, layer after layer so you can still see some paintings that were once there underneath it, too.

Also, spotted the love of my life while I was there. This beautiful Husky baby named Cash, just hanging out on his second floor window.

He was so so precious, I just wanted to give him a great big hug. Spot the tag at the right, just beneath the window? It says #HewittHusky. I googled it and yeah, he has his own twitter account. That melted my heart, I tell ya. One guy walking down the street told us the dog’s name and that he thinks he’s a mountain goat. Awwwwwww.

This day showed me a lot of adventure. it was easy to get lost and forget about myself, to float around like a ghost for a little while. I love blending into my surroundings, and I must say, this space felt like home. I see myself in this place in the future.

-xx, C

Techgating_post

Weekend Wrap-up: #Techgating and Twitter Parties!

by with One Comment DIYfoodgiveawayssportstechnologytravelvideo

Happy Tuesday to you and happy weekend wrap up! I hope your week, your day, and your month have all been amazing. We’ve been doing a lot you and I: Twitter parties, launching an app, catching up… and slowing it down to get ready for the holidays! Yes, I said the H word! Can you believe it’s only TWO more Thursdays until Thanksgiving and SIX more Thursdays until Christmas!?!?! The red cup is out and everything (praise to PSL all day with sprinkles of nutmeg).

So I’m wrapping up the weekend and the week’s happenings.
 
If you love hosting parties, love football season, or just love awesome gifts, then you’re not going to want to miss out on our LIVE #Techgating Twitter party happening this Wednesday, 11/19, with our friends at AT&T @FanForAll. Sign up here . RSVP with your Twitter handle and be sure to use the hashtag #Techgating to participate and for a chance to win fun prizes! We’ll contact the winners after the event. I can’t wait to chat with you all, share my hosting skills secrets, and talk about how tech obsessed we all are! 

As much as I love writing, I also love creating videos – whether they are, my video blogs or my sketch comedy, all are up on my channel now! Click here to check out my latest video blog where I take you around my #Techgating party with my closest friends, show you my DIY tech stations that I’m so proud of, and introduce you to my party’s signature hostess drink! It’s complete with photo booth props and game day shortcakes! For all of the recipes you see in the video and my game day DIY how to’s, click here for that post! I hope this inspires you to get creative with your parties and make them your own with your personal style. Please share your blog posts and photos in the comments so I can check them all out!
Comedy really is my creative outlet. Some people meditate or bake. I write comedy sketches and web series. My latest sketch shows all of my fellow football ‘noobs’ just how to fit in with the cheering and celebrations by throwing the best party ever! It goes through all of the things you’ll need on game day to stay connected to the game and to your friends enjoying it somewhere else. Oh technology, such a beautiful thing. Except when my parents try to Facetime us and aren’t sure how to use that feature on their phones! Ha! So click here to laugh out loud at my dance skills (errr lack there of)!
 
And for some knee slappin’ good time giggles, check out the video Corrine and I did together. It’s our mother/daughter ‘favorites’ video. You KNOW Corrine doesn’t love the camera as much as I do but she rocks it! Click here to check it out. She steals all of my things like my makeup and my clothes, so it’s no wonder they end up in our ‘favorites’ video as her own! Awww parenthood…gotta love it! 
 
And last but definitely not least; if you love a sense of community, would like to be a part of some awesome collaborations, and would like to be featured here on my blog or over on my YouTube channel, then please download my FREE mobile app! It’s totally fun, totally free, and I totally love being a part of all the conversations that are happening over on the app between you all, myself and the rest of our community! So click here to join in on the fun. I’m running a contest right now – #10DaysOfJessmas haha I’m so cheesy! So I pick a winner a day to get a handmade holiday ornament from yours truly. Oh, and I’ll be filming myself making them for you so you can be a part of the moment when I glue my fingers together 😉
 
So that’s the week and weekend wrap-up! Please leave a comment below if I’ll be seeing you at our live Twitter #Techgating party. (Sign up here) and let me know what’s new and exciting with you! I respond to comments so leave ’em all!
 
Have a superb week and thanks for stopping by for a read!
 
Hugs, 
 
Jess
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
techgating_food

Join our #Techgating Twitter Party and win 1 of 6 tech gifts!!!

by with 8 Comments DIYfoodgiveawayssportstechnologytravelvideo

Hello! I hope your week is going amazingly! I have some exciting things for you. Yes YOU! So I’m super excited to announce that I’ll be hosting another Twitter Party ahhhh!!! Yes I’m a pro now at this Twitter Live thing! This time I’m bringing on some friends to host with me! My amazingly hilarious and talented friends Nikki Limo and Sean Klitzner will both be joining me and we’re so excited to get to chat with you all!

So the prizes given will be: 
(1) Samsung Galaxy S5 phone
(1) Samsung Galaxy Note 4
(1) Miroir portable projector 
(1) Portable Speakers
(1) $500 AT&T Gift card
(1) Portable phone charger  


The Twitter party will take place next Wednesday, November 19th at 5pm PST (two games are on this day and we’ll get a chance to talk about it!) So mark your calendars! We’ll talk about the game, tailgating, and of course #Techgating and how you’re implementing tech into your game day! I mean I did share all of my hostess secrets with you all in my last video (click here if you haven’t seen it). I really want everyone to partake in our party so I’m so happy to announce that we have SIX amazing prizes to give to you all during the event, all courtesy of our sponsors @AT&T @FanForAll! Yes you’re correct, that is another form of love. Gifts=love. Makes sense. 

 
 
 
I mean whoa! Pretty awesome right?! So all you have to do to enter for a chance to win one of these rad prizes is sign up for our Twitter Party in the form I’ve provided below. You’ll list your ‘name’ as your Twitter handle (i.e. @jess_lizama) and your URL as your Twitter web address (i.e. http://twitter.com/jess_lizama). Leave us a comment after you’ve signed up I love responding to comments.
 
You’ll have to be RSVP’d to the Twitter Party in order to be eligible to win, and at the end of the party we’ll DM all of the winners for their information.  You’re going to want to participate in our party where we’ll be asking you some fun questions, challenging you to participate in some fun interactive games, and testing your DIY skills! Just kidding, no but really what are you making for your game day? Perhaps a recipe from my #Techgating party? (hint hint). The games will be a lot of fun, you’ll be sharing with us your game day parties, how you’re techgating and implementing tech into your game day, all while entering for a chance to win these amazing prizes listed above. 
 
Be sure to use our hashtag #Techgating so we can see all of your responses. Be sure to follow myself, Nikki (@NikkiLimo), Sean (@SeanKlitzner) and AT&T Fan For All (@FanForAll) so you’re sure to be included in all of our conversations. I’ll be passing some questions and games over to them during the party so you won’t want to miss out! 
 
I really can’t wait to chat with you all, check out all of your photos from your game day, see your game faces (literally), and give you some cool prizes that we teamed up with @FanForAll to send you home with! So please RSVP below, follow us all on Twitter, and use that hashtag! Easy like 1, 2, 3!!!! Ready set go! 😀 

Cheers and I can’t wait to chat with you all LIVE! 

All the hugs, 


Jess
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

techgating1

How To Throw The Best #Techgating Party Ever!

by with No Comment DIYfoodgiveawayssportstechnologytravelvideo

Why yes, my title would make an amazing hashtag! Sooo if you know me personally then you KNOW I’ll take any reason to get dressed up and host a shindig of my own! The football season is upon us and I may be THE walking definition of a ‘footbal noob’, but I still throw the best darn football party anyone’s ever seen! I even made a video about it, 2 of them! I’m so excited to share that I’ve teamed up with AT&T for their #TechGating campaign, which takes tailgating, technology, and social media, and marries them all together to bring you the most interactive and fun social experience, while enjoying the game! Below is a still from our shoot, it’s a sketch I wrote for my YouTube channel where I show you how to throw your very own #techgating party, while giving you all the things you’ll see and experience at every.single.tailgating.party. Ever. 

I mean look at those faces. I love them, I literally have the most awesome friends who also just so happen to be L.A.’s best actors! So we filmed 2 videos in 2 days and they’re so fun! Check out my video blog here, I invited all of these lovely people back the day after we filmed my sketch and we watched the game and did some techgating of our own. Check out the video! My sketch will be out next week and I can’t wait for you to see it!!!! In the mean time, I’ll share with you some of the goodies I made for them..and you..and the video, of which you’ll see in my video blog up on my channel 😀 
 
So techgating is tailgating, just integrating your technology- which we already do with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook -updates and statuses. So tailgating and techgating is being brought to you in the most ultimate way- the Fan Zone Tour Truck, which will be traveling the nation, bringing fans the game while giving them awesome swag, and featuring interactive ‘stations’! Stations like the t-shirt canon, pre-gaming paparazzi, and mobile DJ! So what did I do? I recreated these fun stations in my own home (umm can you say DIY queen over here?! lol) and we filmed the party on day 1 and then we had a party of our own- watching the game on day 2 (click here to see the video on my channel). Win win!!! I love hosting parties but I really love winning and lets just say I totally won that day. Go team go! <—- I’m also a cheerleader!
 
Here are a few of the stations I set up in preparation of our big party!
 
 I know what you’re thinking, ‘Jess, how did you make these awesome stations!?’. Well admittedly I am not the most enthusiastic DIY- do it yourself-er. I mean I get hot glue just everywhere. But these were all so easy to put together that I was so excited to complete them! And get this…..I didn’t glue any of my fingers together y’all! So some features you’ll find on the Fan Zone Tour truck that you can totally recreate for your own techgating party with friends among other things?  
 
Well, I created a really fun and colorful photobooth similar to the ‘pre-gaming paparazzi’ you’ll find on the trucks. My ‘charge-ing station’ (see what I did there? Charge-ing….charge….football?…you get it) I made out of a shoe box and got really crafty with making a ‘football field’ and cutting out a place for all of the chargers to be installed, and my ‘mobile DJ’ features my phone and a speaker in a box to give you a literal DJ box! I know….so cauuutte! I’m so stinkin’ proud of these, but wait there’s more (I’m like that infomercial you can’t peel your eyes away from at 3am lol) I also made some signature foods and goodies for our party! 1st thing though, lets go over how fun you can make your photobooth!
 
I haven’t been to one party or event where a photobooth wasn’t present. I mean, if you don’t take a picture than it didn’t happen right?! So set up a fun photobooth and create your own hashtag so that photos from your party can be easily found! My hashtags were #LizamaPartyRama, #Jessknowsbest, and #TechGating. Why yes I  do love hashtags! lol Check out those photos under the hashtags btw when you get a chance..we are ridiculous and fun! So my photobooth was a wall of metallic fringe and the most fun props evarrrrr (see below for the proof). 
 
 

My charge-ing station was made out of a shoe box and I mod podg-ed (word?) some textured color paper onto it, took a wooden post and cut them into equal parts and painted them yellow to be the ‘goal posts’, and drew the lines in place onto the football field. If you cut out a small square in the front of the box, the cable can be fed through the front to charge the phone, and the charging unit itself can be hidden in the box and then plugged into the wall via the other square hole you cut into the back of the box. Now all of the wires are hidden and you have the world’s cutest charging station.

Every party is in need of some jams so I created a special Fantasy Football playlist for my party and plugged it into the DJ Box which is a jewelry box from Michael’s actually, and I spray painted the outside silver, like a helmet, and then hot glued some festive stickers onto the outside. Just like most people aren’t allowed into the DJ booth at parties, no one was allowed to change my music in my DJ box! lol We had a dance party and that WILL be in the video so stay tuned. Awkward dancing is alive and well people! Here’s a closer look at the charging station I made. You have to try this! It’s so much easier than it looks! 

 

So now that you’ve seen my awesome stations….there is one station that isn’t tangible..it’s the ‘Fight Song’ which you’ll see and oh Lordy, HEAR me perform in the video. Haha prepare your ears! Now on to the foodssss!!!
 
 
I may or may not have a passion for feeding people. I’m a mom, it’s what I do! I decked out my entire apartment to be the most fun football themed lady’s apartment you can imagine, and this is just 1/4 of the food that was waiting for my guests. Complete with finger foods, sugary goodness, traditional favorites like chicken wings, and cotton candy, and then there were some special treats I made to bump up the WOW factor…like my very own techgating signature beverage! The Lizama-party-rama fruity and fun drink, it had equal parts of coconut, pineapple, and orange juices. It was very refreshing, tropical, and totally me! 
 
I got this chalk label at Target and it made the perfect accessory to this perfect party punch! But wait there’s more…I told you I went all out! I also made these football shortcake minis! The perfect game day dessert! It’s sweet but not too sweet, the guys loved that they didn’t need a plate to eat it haha and the ladies loved that it’s a childhood favorite! I was winning them all over, t’was the best!
 
These were SO yummy that it was hard to believe that it was under 5 ingredients! I took the guys favorite: the pound cake much like the taste palette of a lady finger cake, combined it with the ladies favorite- the strawberry, and macerated the berries in a mixture of 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, and the fresh juice of half a lemon. I topped them with fresh whipped cream and BAM! Best dessert ever! (see below for the full recipes) 
 
I have to say, I don’t mean to toot my own horn but ‘Toot toot!’ lol we had such an amazing time filming for my channel and then enjoying some game time on game day. Two days with friends isn’t a bad way to spend the weekend I tell ya! Try making these recipes and DIY #techgating stations at your next party, and please let me know in the comments- what about throwing a #techgating party of your own do you think you can most easily recreate? And what do you most look forward to this football season?! 
 
The Fan Zone Tour truck will feature all of the stations I created, so be sure to check out the site here for the schedule to see where the trucks will be at a school near you! Then you can stop on in and take some pre-gaming paparazzi photos and tag me!!!! The hashtag is #LizamaPartyRama and I’m going to pick my favorites by Thanksgiving week and send you some fun prizes! Also hashtag #Techgating so I can easily find you and others using the hashtag can share in the fun with you also! 
 
I saved the best for last, if you want a chance to win a trip to the 2015 College Football NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP game, simply share your #TechGating photos, videos, or tips on Twitter and check out the site here for more information <3 I can’t wait to see all of your parties, your posts, and your game day recipes! 
 
Thank you for sharing part of your day with me and I’ll see you right back here very soon!
 
xoxo
 
Jess