Thursday, October 30, 2014

Aspiring Bloggers 01: Alexandra

Hello my blogger friends! I have created a new post series where I interview bloggers that I absolutely love! To kick off the new series, Alexandra has kindly accepted to be interviewed for my blog. Her blog is called Into the Woods, and it's honestly one of my all-time favorite blogs. She has such a beautiful style, and it's like walking into a lovely, enchanted wood every time I pay her blog a visit. So without further adieu, meet Alex. :) 

Hey Alexandra! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
Hey there! Well, I started my blog, Into the Woods, back in 2012- today it is my space to share my love for photography, vintage fashion and all things creative!

Why did you decide to start a blog?
I wanted to start a blog to show girls that there was a way to dress modestly, while still being fashionable :)

How would you describe your style? I'd say a mix of classic and vintage, with a few modern trends thrown in here and there.
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What are some of your favorite beauty products? Hard question! I suppose I would have to say any of the MAC lipsticks, any sort of primer ( life changing haha), and Coastal Scents eye shadows- they are amazing quality, and so affordable!


Who does your lovely photography?
My mom and sister switch off week to week- they are my life savers! I do the camera settings and they snap away- we are like a little team :)

Collage
What's one of your favorite outfits you've worn and why?
Let me think... I'd have to say my outfit from the California Dreamin' post is one of my favorites- I felt so retro that day!

What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Coming up with new content! It is so fun to plan shoots- I just love it!
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Do you have a fashion inspiration? If so, who?
You betcha- Audrey Hepburn, Zooey Descchanel and Taylor Swift

If you had to dress in clothing from any time period which would it be?
1950s all the way!
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Do you have a bible verse you live by? 
One of my favorites is "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5IMG_3254
Thank you so much for letting me interview you Alex! It was so much fun!

~Click here to visit her site.~

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Sweet 16

Hi guys! Today is my birthday!!! I'm officially 16! We went on a trip a few days ago to celebrate my birthday. We went to Tennessee. It was a looonnnggg drive, but it was totally worth it! 

We went to a bear zoo! The bears were adorable. They would clap for food. I got a video of one of them clapping, but once I saw a sign saying that you couldn't videotape them, I felt so guilty that I deleted it. I tried to capture one bear clapping so I hope you enjoy it all the same. :)
We had some great food there! Yum!!!

The view was beautiful! Especially since we went in the autumn time.

A picture of my beautiful sister. :)

We also went on a Ghost Walk. It wasn't scary or anything. This guy would tell us stories about things that happened in that town. He showed us a couple different places that were supposedly haunted. I liked learning about the history of their town. Before going there, we stopped by a graveyard with tons of old graves. Some were from the 1700's! You might be thinking that it's weird to look at graveyards but I find it has a deep, solemn beauty. As I read their graves, I was curious what their story was.

This pic is really blurry, but I couldn't help but put this on as well. Oh Dobby!

I hope you enjoyed this post that I sorta threw together at the last minute. ;) Thanks for reading!<3

Monday, October 27, 2014

Blogiversary

Guess what? My little ol' blog turned 1 yesterday! I can't believe how much my blog has grown in a year's time. From having no followers to having almost a hundred! I am extremely grateful for you all. Thank you!
October has been a super busy month for me. That's why new posts aren't quite as frequent as they used to be. I've suddenly been filled this week with inspiration, so I have a lot of cool posts that will be coming soon! Feel free to tell me what you think. :)

Sweet 16
How to Make a VSCO effect for free(in color and b&w)
How to Make Leaf Art
Halloween
Fall Photos
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Maybe some interviews. Guess we'll see. :)
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Here's what the VSCO effect looks like.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Music


~Some music just speaks to me.~
This song is so beautiful. Every time I hear it it fills me with encouragement even in the middle of  my busy/stressful week. I believe that everyone connects with God in different ways. Maybe it's being in the fellowship with other believers, or a sermon that makes you feel closer to him. All of that is great, and I enjoy those as well, but (christian contemporary) music seems to unlock something deep inside of me. Sometimes I'll search some of my favorite songs on youtube and just listen to them over and over again. Isn't it amazing, that God chose some believers to sing His truth? It's like a secret message God sends us down from heaven to keep us encouraged and strong through the tough times. I soon found a song called Hold You Up by Shane Harper. The lyrics are amazing. To me the song is saying that even though it's not easy to be a Christian when the world is telling you lies, He is still there helping us through. They say that it's all just a fairy tale, that there's no proof. But aren't we the proof? We, the Christians, should be the proof of our faith. We should let him shine through us in our actions and our words. The song is telling us that you don't have to be alone, and that God will always be with you, constantly helping you to say the right words, to do the right things. I know this is a short post but I've been so busy lately. Thank you for reading. <3

How do you connect with God? 

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Something New

I'm in the process of creating a new blog design for myself.  I know, I know. You're probably wondering why I keep on changing it. I guess the reason is that I keep on learning more coding knowledge and being inspired by other designs. It's not that I don't like the current one I have, but I want something that will really express who I am. I keep on trying to make one that is professional and personal but it's always not quite right. I'm a major perfectionist so it irritates me when it doesn't look that way I want it too. As you can see in the moodboard above, I'm going to have a yellow, white, and black color scheme. I want it to be simple yet unique and I hope I accomplished that when it's complete. I  know this is sort of a random post but I just thought I would tell you all. I'm going to put it on here sometime this month. So keep your eyes peeled. ;) That's such a weird expression isn't it?

Friday, October 10, 2014

Monochrome 01

Black and white are the colors of photography.
To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.
~Robert Frank~
mon·o·chrome
ˈmänəˌkrōm
noun
1.a photograph or picture developed or executed in black and white or in varying tones of only one color.

adjective
adjective: monochrome
1.(of a photograph or picture, or a television screen) consisting of or displaying images in black and white or in varying tones of only one color.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Artist Inside

Have you ever been in doubt about what God wants you to do? I've been going through that a lot lately. Some of you know that I would love to be a web/graphic designer someday and have even started my own business. Even though I love it, I also want to do what God wants me to do. I also have been wrestling with the thought of getting Photoshop or something like it. If you know what Photoshop is you know that it can have a big price tag. When I went yard selling the other day, I saw something that blew my mind. It was a brand new Photoshop Elements software, still in the package and all. I was so amazed but I didn't want to get my hopes up since it was only three bucks and it might not even have worked. I tried it out, and it was like the real thing. It had all types of effects and different stuff I could do. Even thought I had no idea how to use it, I'm so excited to fill my mind with image editing knowledge. For me, it was a sure sign that I was where God wanted me to be. All the doubtfulness melted away. Why do I like graphic/web designing so much? Well, there's actually a reason. Ever since I was very young, I've loved to draw and paint. I also was fascinated with computers. I used to play little educational games on it when I was a child and was amazed by how something so ordinary could do something extraordinary. I would spent a lot of my time doodling away and creating new character to put on my paper. Since I loved art, I thought that one day I would be an artist. As I grew older, I began to understand that the career I had wanted so badly would probably not have a very good income. Not that I'm obsessed with money or anything, I just want to have enough money to support myself in the world. I thought I had to give up my dream job and began looking for other potential  jobs. I enjoyed doing lots of things, but none of them could fill the place of the hobby I truly loved. It was only this year when I finally had a clue what I wanted to be. I had been blogging for a while but hadn't the slightest idea on how to design it. After learning a few codes, I began to teach myself and Googled whatever I didn't know. After starting a free design service, I knew that it was something that I very much enjoyed. After a while I learned how to make my own graphics/vectors from my drawings and began editing photos and such. I'm sorry if this post is basically filled with my never-ending ramblings, but I hope you have enjoyed it all the same. My design shop is now opened for business.

~Click here to visit my site~

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Life Update: Embracing Autumn

So, a day or two ago we went to a place where we could pick pumpkins and do lots of other autumny stuff. I thought I would share a few photos from the experience. Enjoy!

I got to go in a corn maze. It was awesome. :)

I got to pick out my pumpkin! It may not look like it in the photo, but for some reason the sky was really cloudy yet extremely bright. That's why I'm squinting my eyes and such. :)
More fun!!! *in black and white to give it a dramatic effect* ;)


Iphone/Ipod Touch wallpaper freebies coming up next!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

DIY: Super Easy Pumpkin Nail Tutorial

So today, I'm going to share a super easy, simple way to make your nails have an autumny feel. I'm am not very good with nail polish and it was really easy to do for me. I thought up this idea just today so please excuse the messy nails in my photos. Are you ready? Well then, let's begin.

What you'll need: Orange and light yellow nail polish with a green nail polish with a thinner brush. Also have some nail polish remover and cotton balls on hand just in case you mess up.
Step 1(image 1): Apply the light yellow nail polish to your nails. I did three coats but it really depends on how thick the nail polish is.
Step 2(image 2): Make two large dots in the middle of your nail with the orange polish. Connect them and make sure it is at the tip of your nail. Fill in any empty spaces to give it a pumpkin shape.
Step 3 (image 3): Add a little stem on top of your little pumpkins. Add a clear coat, and you are completely done!

I hope this was helpful for you all! I might do some other autumn/Halloween nail tutorials if you'd like. Thanks for reading!
P.S. I made some iphone/ipod touch wallpapers. Comment if you would like some wallpaper freebies!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Autumn Bucket List

Guess what today is? The first day of October! To me, October is the official month for the autumn season. There are a lot of things I want to do this fall. So I decided to make an autumn bucket list. When winter comes along I'll tell you the things I did on the list. So here we go!
1. Drink some apple cider.
2. Pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch.
3. Go on a hayride.
4. Make a Jack-o'-Lantern.
5. Jump into a pile of leaves.
6. Go in a corn maze.
7. Wear sweaters and other fall attire.
8. Take a nature walk.
9. Pick apples.
10. Celebrate my birthday.
11. Paint a pumpkin.
12. Have one of those caramel apple suckers.
13. Eat lots of pumpkin pie.
14. Press pretty colored leaves.
15. Bake cookies.
16. Watch a Halloween movie.
17. Sip hot chocolate with cinnamon on top.
18. Smell an apple cinnamon candle.
19. Walk in the crunchy leaves.
20. Eat a caramel apple.