My Collection: SKIRTS

As someone who has a tendency to collect things, I decided to use this bad habit as a blog post!

My first "collection" hasn't gotten too out of hand (yet) but is quickly growing. I work at a job where you are required to dress up everyday, and after nearly a year of wearing nothing but khakis and slacks, I finally caved and invested in a few skirts. I was wonderfully surprised with the prices of all of these skirts, because I was lucky enough to find them for great prices!

The first skirt is from a brand called "Wearever" and I picked this up at Gordman's. It's a simple skater skirt, that goes right at finger tip length. I typically pair this with a nice t-shirt (tucked in) and a pair of nice sandals. I recently was trying to figure out a way to make this skirt autumn wear as well, and it surprisingly paired VERY nicely with a sweater I have! This skirt (if I'm remembering correctly) was $10

The second skirt is from The Wet Seal. I was wonderfully surprised to be able to find clothing in The Wet Seal that fit onto a curvy body, and especially for $5!! This also is a skater skirt, and goes a little past finger tip length. The coloring is more of a nude, with a slight pink to it.

The third and final skirt is hands down my favorite. I got this at a boutique called Florence Adams, and it is by a brand called "Twenty Ten". This skirt is much longer than the other two, and is a gorgeous floral print. It was $30, and is amazing quality material. I was also pleasantly surprised that you can't see through the white material! Who-Hoo!

Overall these skirts were definitely a GREAT purchase, and have been very versatile! All of them are very comfortable, and appropriate to wear in a business setting. Hopefully the collection continues to grow! :)

The Newest Addition to the Family

I recently was able to purchase something I have wanted for what seems like forever, and that is an Instax Polaroid Camera. I have no idea what exactly it is about a Polaroid camera, whether its the idea of the image being raw, or whether it's simply the novelty of watching a photo develop. Either way, I am VERY happy with the purchase, and I have been pleasantly surprised with the images it produces.

To get back to the reasoning behind the purchase, I would say it primarily started with my love of quirky "vintage" photography. I have always loved the look of old photos, and I have always been pulled in with the Polaroid's faded edges, and extra glow. Recently I was able to go through a box of old photos with my Grandma and Grandpa, and seeing all their old Polaroids, and the smiles it brought to their faces made me want to experience something like that years down the road.

I realize that in this day in age, we are blessed with absolutely insane technology, and our cameras today take some stellar photos…but there is just something so special about Polaroids! I (as a proud owner of a Canon DSLR camera) have a deep appreciation for digital media, and the things it can do for our society today, but I know for me, being shown an image on the computer vs. being shown a polaroid…one of them definitely has MUCH more meaning.

I am very excited to begin to create my own collection of Polaroids, and I can't wait to be able to show them to my grandchildren in the future.

We are Kingdom Workers

What’s this, I’m actually updating my blog?

Disclaimer: the following photos are VERY low quality due to them being taken on a cell phone haha J

I recently had the opportunity to attend CIY for my 3^rd year in a row, at the University of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a wonderful week, filled with lots of memories that make me smile even just thinking about them. This year’s theme was “Kingdom Workers” which is a concept that CIY has used for YEARS. All throughout the week we learned how we as Christians could be better kingdom workers.

Every year at CIY, the music is always one of the highlights. This year we had an artist named Tony, who was very good at leading a group of 1,600 students in worship. The music had a very “electronic” vibe to it this year, and it felt like a giant dance party most of the time, so that was wonderful.

This year we had a great group of students go from my church, and it was so much fun to be able to bond with all of them. We even started what seemed like the biggest version of the “dart game” whilst on campus. Lots of friends and memories made.

Everyday at CIY, everyone gets 10-15 minutes of “encounter” time. Which is basically just time for you to sit by yourself and chill out with God. Everyone would get a card with verses to read, and fun activities to complete. It was nice to be able to sit down at the beginning of everyday and remember why we were all TRULY at CIY.

One of my all time favorite parts of CIY is that you get to share a college dorm room with someone for a week. I was blessed to be able to share a dorm room with my best friend Hanna. The amount of inside jokes, hysterical sleep deprived laughter, and deep conversations that I got to have with her was wonderful. I’m very very thankful to have a friend like her that is willing to share a dorm room with someone as obnoxious as me for a WHOLE WEEK! J

On the 4^th day of camp it’s extended rec day, which just means that your youth group gets to take a trip and do something off campus for a day! Our group decided to hit up a local burger joint, and let me tell you IT WAS THE BEST HAMBURGER I HAVE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. If you ever find yourself in Lincoln, Nebraska go to “Honest Abe’s, Burgers and Freedom”. I promise you, you will not regret your decision.

My favorite night of CIY was definitely night 4, and the topic was “Kingdom Workers are changed”. It was a wonderful message that really hit home. We talked about how God changes us, and is calling us to change (even if we don’t want to L) They had us each write down one word that would describe the “changed” version of yourself. They then handed us these very oddly shaped piece of plexi glass, and we put our stickers onto it. After a few minutes of singing in complete darkness, suddenly the stage lit up…hands down the most meaningful part of the trip.

I’m very thankful to have been able to go on this AMAZING trip, and I can’t wait to go again next summer!

The Impact of a Camera

One thing I have always enjoyed is photography. As time goes by, and I continue to learn the art of photography, I started to realize just how cool the evolutions of cameras are.  I have always thought old, vintage cameras looked neat, but once I really thought about the process people had to go through to get a good photo, I began to appreciate it a lot more. 

One day my friend Hanna came up to me and told me she had a gift for me. I was nearly brought to tears when I opened up the gift and it was an old camera. Not only did it have an old fashioned light, but the mirrored eyepiece as well. I didn’t realize how much I would love to have something like that to use as a decorative piece in my room, but every time I look at it, I always want to smile. 

It is one of those things that I feel is an accurate definition of why I take photos, and it reminds me of the effort that really goes into getting an image that will stand out amongst the trillions of others. I realize that may sound a bit pretentious, but that’s the only way I can think to describe it. 

As someone who is involved in learning the art of photography, it is a terrifying thing to think about. “Why would anyone bother looking at my photos?” That little camera is what reminds me that if someone can take a brilliant photo with a camera like that, then there is hope for all of us aspiring photographers. 

It’s the little things in life, friends.

The Best Lipstick of All Time

Have you ever had a day when you feel that your daily makeup look just isn’t quite enough? You feel that you are missing something, nothing too crazy, but something? Well friends, look no further than “Crimson” a wonderful lipstick by Avon.  I know what you may be thinking, Avon? I am here to put an end to the harsh judgment of Avon’s makeup line being used for women under the age of 40, and putting it out into the void that this lipstick is hands down the BEST lipstick I have EVER used. The consistency of the lipstick helps it go on evenly, and gives off a great color.  My favorite part of this lipstick has got to be how easy it is to build up to the shade that you want!

As you can tell from these photos, I have had this lipstick for quite awhile now, and have nearly used it all! I went on to Avon’s website to order a new tube, and I was horribly disappointed to find that they no longer sell this shade of lipstick! I am planning on placing an order for a couple of colors that look similar, and I will keep everyone posted when I find out if they are anything comparable to the original!

I would highly recommend any of Avon’s beauty products, because I have had nothing but good luck with every single product that I have purchased from them! Very impressed with not only the quality, but the cheap prices as well!

Let me know in the comments below if you have any lipsticks that you can’t get enough of!

How I Edit my Instagram Photos

Recently I was asked all about my Instagram photo-editing process, and I realized just how much time and effort I put into each one of my photographs.  Over time I have found some pretty amazing apps that can make any average photo look like a million bucks. 

My favorite editing app is definitely Afterlight.  I love all of the different features this app offers, ranging anywhere from exposure to skin tone!  Though I don’t normally use the filters on Afterlight, they do have some really great options, my personal favorite being “Russ”.  The only complaint I have about this app is the fact that it wasn’t free. I typically don’t spend money on apps, but let me tell you it was COMPLETLEY worth the 99¢

VSCO Cam is hands down one THE best apps for filters that has ever been invented. If you are anything like I am, in the way that you are a bit specific about all of your photos following a theme on your feed, this app will save your life.  There are tons of different filter options for free, and if you so wish then you can purchase even more!  If I’m honest, I didn’t like VSCO at first, it seemed so…strange.  The layout of this app is half editing app, half social media platform where you are able to share your own images! In my opinion anyone who wants their photos to look good, you need a little VSCO in your life.

After I have finished adjusting my photo, and I'm done giving it an artsy filter…I have to fix the basics. For this task I can trust good ole’ Aviary to get the job done.  Have you ever taken a selfie and noticed that your teeth don’t look as white as you would like them to? Aviary’s whitening tool can solve all of your problems my friend.  I personally use Aviary for things such as blurring backgrounds, getting rid of blemishes, and whitening my teeth.  It’s quick and easy to use, and…FREE!

As you can tell, editing Instagram photos into perfection is quite the process.  I personally love using lots of different apps to see what I can create, but these are definitely my favorite three! If you feel so inclined, comment below your favorite app to edit photos with!

DISCLAIMER: The photos shown on this post may be slightly blurry due to me transferring them from a phone to my laptop, but hopefully you will get the idea J

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