Monday, July 18, 2016

No More Tangled Necklaces When You Travel...

If you are anything like me, you hate the dreaded packing for a trip.  What to wear?  What will the weather be like?  Should I bring extra just in case?  You know what I'm talking about, right?  For me, even though I hate packing there's a part of it that I dread even more!  What the heck am I going to do about all of my necklaces????  AGH!!!!  No matter how careful I am they always seem to end up like a tangled mess and then I spend upwards of hours trying to untangle them. 
Well not anymore!  I found a little life hack using straws that has literally changed the way that I pack my beautiful ensembles.
First I pick which necklaces I will be bringing with me.
I grab straws and scissors that I will be able to cut to size.
Slide one end of your necklace chain through the straw and clasp it together.
And voila it works and no more messy tangles to deal with!
I know it may seem silly but if this little hack helped me, I'm sure it can help someone else out there that dreads dealing with this as much as I do.  So wherever you are traveling to I hope you make memories all over the world!

xxox,
CJ

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Beginners Guide to Flatlay Photography...




Ahh yes, the world we live in is made up of beautiful pictures filled with Photoshop in all of it's glory.  I've been so perplexed by this for some time now, always wondering why some photos look amazing and others are completely lackluster (mine always seeming to be of the latter).  So I went on a mission today to try to discover the art in amazing flatlay photos (I actually had to Google what it meant, lol).  Please bare in mind that I am in no way an expert on this I am just a woman trying to break this down into easy steps for all of us unexperienced "Flatlayer's" (Is that an occupation? Lol).

Alright, Let's get this party started!  First and foremost, make sure that you have natural light.  You don't want to take your photos in the early morning or late evenings as this can cast more shadows.  Here's the spot in my house that gets the most light.  I took this photo after I did my flatlay pictures just to give you an idea of the right kind of natural lighted space that I used.


Next you want to pick a background that will compliment your flatlay photo.  I chose to use the faux fur rug that I use for my desk chair (see picture below) but you can use a wooden floor, clean sheet, tabletop, blanket, tiles, rugs or just about anything that you can think of that isn't too busy.  And definitely don't go out and buy anything too quickly, take a look around your home for items that could work, I bet you have a few!


Now that you've picked your background, it's time for you to pick the items that will go on your flatlay.  Try to pick items that compliment one another nicely.  All you need is a little creativity and imagination.  I am about to leave for Dallas in a couple of days to go to AdvoCare's Success School at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium so I wanted to put together items that correspond to what I'll be wearing and bringing with me :)



I don't know about you but I think this makes a good flatlay picture too and all I did was throw the items that I wanted to use on my bed, lol.  Ok, stay with me here...
Next you will need to place your background on the well lit area and start to organize your items as you see fit.  Now see how this original picture (below) had more yellow tones to it?  I learned how to change the yellow color cast in order to get the bright whites that we see in these type of pictures from a quick tutorial from It's Always Autumn.


And after all that work here is my finished product!  I'm sure there is plenty of room to grow but for my very first one I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out.  And remember, there really is no wrong way or right way to place your items.  As you can see from the above photo where I just kind of threw everything down vs placing everything down right where I want them just gives both photos a whole new look :) 


If you can think of anything that I may have missed or you have a better solution to making a flatlay, I'd love to hear your input in the comments below.  

And before I take off, I thought it would be fun to list out the items that I used in this picture for you so here you go...


1) "Make it Happen" journal from Home Goods
2) MAC Lipstick "Viva Glam"
3) Ring from Stella and Dot
4) Earrings from Bebe
5) Jo Malone Candle "Wood Sage & Sea Salt"
6) Gold Pumps made by Chinese Laundry
7) AdvoCare Spark for mental focus and energy
8) Michael Kors watch
9) This is a bracelet that I got from a boutique in Laguna Beach which is no longer there :(
10) Whoop whoop, this is the AdvoCare Gold Pin that you can receive if you are looking for a way to make some extra money

Anyway, I hope you liked my tutorial and come back for some more fun ideas for the beginner like me ;)

xxox,
CJ




Sunday, July 10, 2016

The Happy Hour of Friendships, Frolic & Feasting...



Do you ever need to just get away?  Even if it's for a quick hour to decompress from the madness of life.  Of course you do!  Thank goodness for girlfriends that say "I'm picking you up!  How fast can you be ready?"  It always helps when you have a restaurant not too far away with a great happy hour to accommodate moms just like us :)



Living in South Orange County has a ton of amazing restaurants to eat at however our little town of Ladera Ranch is extremely lackluster when it comes to food choices.  It can be so annoying sometimes trying to figure out where to eat next.  Half of the time you list out all of the restaurants where we live just to have more problems deciding because driving too far is a task in itself.  Seems like everyone wants to stay put in our ho hum town.

Today was different!  We decided to go down Ortega Hwy for a very short drive to a restaurant called Tannins.  They had a delicious "Happy Hour" to allure us to get the heck out of our town!  Just what these two mama's needed!


Ahh yes!  A Chardonnay to toast getting away (even if it is for a moment) hit the spot.  Sitting on the patio talking about life with no one to bug us!  Juts two friends enjoying a good laugh!


Next came the white fish ceviche' which was a little sweet for my taste buds but to be honest I really didn't care.  Getting away was just what we needed!  Oh but let me tell you, the salmon tacos are so delicious and packed to the rim!  It's exactly what we needed to pair wit our Chardonnay!  And let's be honest here, another glass was ordered and well deserved!  

This is definitely a happy hour that I will return to, even if it is for a quick escape!  Always having a girlfriend by your side to pull you out of your craziness is the icing on the top!  And next time we'll need to extend our "Happy Hour" to more than just one hour, but this time...  it was so worth it!  If you have suggestions for other great restaurants with happy hours I'd love to hear about them!  

xxox,
CJ