getting closer!

The first day of spring has offically come and gone, and out here in Colorado it seems as if we are getting closer and closer to the lovely weather that accompanies such a beautiful season. So far, temperatures have reached the upper 70s with all kinds of warm sunshine. With this kind of weather, I can't help but get antsy to do all sorts of fun seasonal shopping!
Last post, I filled you in with the details of skin tone and complemntary colors in an effort to excite you about wardrobe updates! However, no wardrobe is complete without a killer pair of shades. I am currently in the market for some new sunglasses as the continued abuse to my trusty Fossil glasses has finally gotten the best of them. After much consideration, I hesitantly decided that it's time to invest in a pair of "big girl" sunglasses. Considering I usually tend to lose, ruin, or break sunglasses more often than not, this decision to invest is fairly significant. That being said, I did a bit of research on which glasses would best frame my face before dropping a load of cash on the first pair I set eyes on. Afterall, when purchasing a pair of $100 shades, you expect to look stylishly chic, right? Well, in an effort to keep myself and you all from looking foolishly passe, I've decided to share the valuable tips I've discovered when on the search for a new pair of trendy sunglasses.
While shopping around, one of the most important things to keep in mind is your face shape. Typically there are five major face shape categories:  round, heart, oval, square, and oblong. Each face shape is complemented most by specific frames of glasses.
ROUND: if you have a round face, like mine, you will notice there very few angles in your cheek bones and jaw lines. The lack of definitive angles allows for the width and length of your face to be measurably similar. Frames that best complement a full, round face, are glasses with hard angles such as square or rectangular frames. It would be in your best interest to avoid round or oval frames as they add a look of fullness to your face.
HEART: those of you with a heart shaped face generally have a wide forhead, high cheek bones, and a pointed chin resembeling an outline of a heart. Since the upper part of your face is broader than the lower, you want to look for shades that are wider at the bottom of the frame to balance out your proportions. Try to steer clear from smaller frames, as that will accentuate the width of the forehead and the narrowness of the jawline.
OVAL: the lucky ones with oval faces can wear just about any frame they please and look stellar while doing so. Oval faces are nearly perfectly proportioned. The only thing to keep in mind is to match the proportion of your face with the size of the frames.
SQUARE: individuals with a square face are characterized with a broad forehead and prominent features from the cheek bones to the jawlines. A tip to keep in mind when looking for glasses is to stick with round or oval frames that soften the pronounced angles on your face.
OBLONG: you have an oblong face when it is longer than it is wide. Look for particularily wider frames to balance width with your length. For example, shades with detail on the temple can give the illusion of a wider face.
Well, there you have it. I invite you to take advantage of this information so as to look knockout gorgeous this season. For more information on face shapes, ideas of specific glasses that would look great on you, or a quiz to find out what shape your face is, go to the site I used by clicking here!
Until next time, dare to be remarkable and rock your shades with confidence!

i'm back!

Hey fellow followers, I'm back! :) I had to take a bit of a hiatus due to switching schools mid-year, travels, and holidays. But, not to worry, I've got fun things planned for the next few posts! So, I say we just get to it, yes? Here we go!

Unfortunately, groundhog day brought us bad news this February...six more weeks of winter! But in my opinion, it's never too early to plan a wardrobe for Spring of 2012, am I right?! Before we dive into this Spring's must-haves, there are two EXTREMELY important questions to answer. First, what skin tone do you have? And second, what colors look best with your skin tone? Let me break it down for you...

There are four different skin tones to which you can be categorized: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Those in the spring category generally have gold undertones in the pigment of their skin, blue or green eyes, and strawberry or dirty blonde hair.

Individuals in the summer category are characterized by pink or blue undertones, pale or milky skin, NATURAL blondes or brunettes with pale, soft eyes.

 

Features of autumn skin tones are exactly like the leaves in the fall. Gold undertones, brunette or auburn hair, and stark brown eyes.

Those with winter complexions, like summer, have blue or pink undertones. Unlike summer, those within the winter category usually olive skin, brunette or black hair, and dark, intense eye colors.

Now that you know the characteristics of each complexion, you can decide which category you belong to. Next question to address: what colors complement your skin tone?

Spring skin tone: colors that look best with gold undertones are soft, warm hues of brown, gold, and camel. Springs should generally avoid stark, dull colors.


Summer skin tone: light, pastel colors compliment the milky complexion of Summers. Stay away from high contrast colors like black.

Autumn skin tone: like Springs, colors such as: beige, gold, and brown look best on Autumns. Refrain  from wearing colors with blue or pink tints.

Winter skin tone: sharp, crisp colors like black and white look great on Winters. Icy hued blues and purples flatter their olive skin.

I hope you guys use this information to your advantage! Before you do some wardrobe updating, take into consideration your skin tone in an effort to find pieces that will make you look radiant this Spring! What skin tone are you? Do you know what you're going to look for the next time you go out on a little shopping spree?

for more information on which colors flatter your skin tone, click here!

my apologies!

Followers, I am so terribly sorry for the lengthy hiatus I've taken from blogging! I have been all to busy with the last few dismal weeks of this fine fall semester: homework, finals, and work had taken over my life. Alas, I am finally free from classes, papers, and presentations, even if it is only for a short four weeks! I am now left with a rather significant question...what do I do with this time I've been given?! Surprise, surprise, I actually have a majority of this lovely winter break planned so as to make the absolute best of this next month! Here we go!

To start out this week, my amazing parents are coming out to visit for the holiday weekend. I cannot wait to spend some quality time with my family and simply enjoy each others company! The whole family will be together again for the first time since this last summer!

Christmas is in a short NINE days and I cannot even explain how much I love Christmas! The entire family together: parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles, the festive music, games, memories, and cookies of the holiday season can really open your eyes to how much you have to be thankful for. Spending this Christmas with my entire family is all I could ask for this Christmas!

Another two short days after Christmas and it's my 20th birthday! I am well aware that 20 is not that big of a deal to most people, but it is to me! I will no longer be a "teenager". Yay! So much to look forward to as an optimistic 20 year old :)

A few days later, in the beginning of January, I'll be traveling back to the good ol' homeland. I can't wait to see all of my friends and family that continue to reside in the great state of Minnesota! I have a number of fun things planned for my short time home. But most importantly, I'll get to see the people I love most and spend great quality time with them!

As soon as I get back to Colorado, I have transfer orientation for CU Boulder! I am so beyond stoked to be starting at the college of my dreams! However, along with the joy of excitement for bigger and better things comes a large amount of nerve wracking stress. So much to do in so little time before I'm in a totally new place in my life!

I've got quite a winter break ahead of me! What are your plans for the holidays?!

cutesy cupcakes!

A few days before the Thanksgiving holiday, my friend Adri came out for a quick visit! She was in town to spend the holiday with her family, but I stole her away for a day and took her down to 16th Street Mall in Denver for some shopping, gossip, and treaters! Before we knew it we were standing at the most adorable little cupcake stand called Gigi's Cupcakes. We thought we may have missed out on our chance for some gourmet cupcakes, but to our surprise, the kiosk was still open, hooray! Gigi's Cupcakes is situated right in the middle of the mall in just the cutest stand...





Gigi's Cupcakes!

  



A little Gigi's history



Not only were Adri and I shocked that the stand was still open, but to our joy, all the cupcakes were buy one get one free! Twice the deliciousness for the price of one! We couldn't believe our luck! So we each made the tough decision on which two cupcakes caught our eye the most! In a few short minutes we were walking through the mall each carrying these cutesy cupcake boxes..

The box itself was just the cutest, but what was sealed inside was even better...




chocolate mousse & wedding cake!

 

After getting these in my hands it only took a few short minutes to devour one of these little guys. They were insanely delicious! If you're ever in Denver and looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, I most DEFINITELY recommend you check out Gigi's Cupcakes at the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver...so amazing!




chocolate mousse with a pilgrim hat for thanksgiving!

 




just about gone!

 




and finished in under five!

 

to do!

I am an insanely frequent lap top user. Usually for multiple hours every day: school, work, facebook, email, pinterest, and BLOGGING! Since I am on my computer for an extended amount of time and on a daily basis, my computer gets extremely warm. So irritating! My quick fix? A $2.50 black, plastic lap desk knick knack from IKEA.

Most people would just buy something cheap like this and leave it. However, I tend to enjoy spicing things up a bit! My immediate thought...MODGE PODGE DECOUPAGE! I am a relatively huge fan of modge podging anything and everything. Modge Podge is a type of clear, non toxic adhesive used for decoupaging in either a matte or gloss finish. You can literally decoupage almost anything: dressers, table tops, cabinets, light switches, books, shelving, etc. to give even the most simple things a little pop of color, patterns, and texture! 

So, for my DIY project, I gathered pictures, magazine clippings, and stickers to modge podge on my new, very plain lap desk. It took me maybe a half hour to finish this project, but could have taken almost fifteen minutes less had I not been such a perfectionist. Here's a very simple step-by-step How To for decoupaging!

STEP ONE:  gather items

• An item or fixture to decoupage
• Pictures, magazine clippings, stickers, memorabilia, etc.
• Modge Podge
• Foam paint brush
• Paper towels
• Newspaper to protect the surface you are working on

Lap desk BEFORE

STEP TWO:  begin decoupaging

• One by one, take each item you will be decoupaging and place it on the surface.
• Just like if you were to paint, take the brush and dip it into the modge podge and spread across your picture or clipping and onto the surrounding surface area.
• You do not need a lot of modge podge, just a light layer over each picture or clipping. Use paper towels to wipe off access modge podge.
• Once you have finished laying and decoupaging one image, start on the next.
• Continue until you have everything in place and covered in a light layer of the modge podge.

Materials

 

 

 

 STEP THREE:  finishing layer

• Finally, paint one consecutive layer of modge podge over the entire surface to make sure each image is in place and secure.

STEP FOUR:  let dry

Here's a peek at the after shots!

 

new music

     Music is a relatively huge part of my life. I literally listen to music for at least two hours a day: to and from school, in the car, when doing homework, when cleaning, and most importantly when I am just relaxing. I do my best to keep up with who or what's new by checking iTunes on a weekly basis. I LOVE finding new music to listen to over and over and recommend to my closest friends. I usually like a little bit of everything, yet at the same time, I am hugely picky with what I consider to be "good" music. My all time favorite genre of music is easily, hands down COUNTRY. Generally, all the songs within this genre are down to earth and have true, unique meaning. Because of this, I find myself gravitating toward country more so than any other genre in the music industry.

     In terms of what I listen to, my country artist go-tos as of now are definitely Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Gloriana, The Band Perry and most importantly and most recently, Scotty McCreery!

     I literally just bought Scotty's new album "Clear As Day" off of iTunes last night and I have probably listened to it 8+ times on repeat. As much as I hate to say it, I feel like most people underrate him as an artist particularly because he is 17 years young and has blasted only since winning American Idol. I'm sure these negative individuals assume he'll get his fifteen minutes of fame and be out of here in no time. However, I'll have to politely, yet completely disagree. He showed everyone on American Idol that he can sing an insane range of notes, put meaning behind what he's singing regardless of his age, and proved to be a clearly genuine artist that has stayed true to himself since making it in the industry. If you even slightly enjoy listening to country, I STRONGLY suggest you listen to his new music. Go beyond listening to his top two songs because his entire album is amazing. He was given the opportunity to record songs that were written by well known artists and songwriters such as Keith Urban and Chris Tompkins that not only stayed within the country genre, but also that you as the listener could see he had a connection to. Let me know what you think! What are your favorite songs?

    Side note: he's adorable, which obviously makes you want to listen to it even more, I mean, if you know what's good for you! :)

Inspiration

     A simple word that has far more meaning than most would generally tend to give. Without inspiration, what gives us enough positivity to keep going when things get tough? Without inspiration how do we complete tasks that everyone tells us are impossible? There is no other answer.
     I used to believe that inspiration came solely from significant events or people that in some way or another caused great impact within your life. Although that is entirely possible, I've learned that even the smallest of things: an action, a phrase or saying, or even a picture can inspire someone even if for just a day.
    Almost everyday of my life I see or hear something or someone that makes me smile, but most of all I realize that there are people out there that have it far more worse than I could even imagine. Those simple THOUGHTS inspire me to make the most of my life, take chances, and remember that not only is every day a new day, but it could also be your last day.
   
     Speaking of inspiration, I have two very permanent reminders of how important inspiration is to me and my life. Tattooed on my left foot I have the quote, "Dare to be remarkable". This quote means the world to me. I see this tattoo every day and it reminds me that I have the ability to be the best person I can be and that no one can stand in the way of that, except for myself. Although I may not do something that is "remarkable" in the minds of people all over the world, I would hope that the people close to me know that I give everything I've got in everything I do.
     Also, every last member in my family inspires me on a daily basis. The things they do for me, for others, and the things each person has gone through are unreal. For those reasons in and of themselves, my family means the absolute world to me. I would give anything for my family and it goes without saying that they would do the same for me. I wanted to do something that allowed me to remember everyday just how much my family inspired and meant to me. I was thinking of the line about how people 'wear their hearts on their sleeves' and I thought that was an interesting saying. I figured my arm, or wrist rather, was a substitute for my sleeve, and in lieu of simply a heart, replace with my family. Thus, my family tattoo on my wrist. Each day I get to see my tattoo and know just how special not only the tattoo is, but my family as well.

    Aside from my tattoos, other things and people tend to inspire me. Most importantly, my mom, Eve. She can honestly, without a doubt find the good in any situation. She is the most positive and outgoing woman I know; and to me, that means the world. With everything she has gone through, I truly don't understand how she is the amazing, beautiful woman she is today. But some how, through all of the dark, she finds the light. And that is simply inspiring to me. Anyone who has ever met Eve would easily vouch for me. She was the mom that everyone loved and adored. She is my hero, my role model, my everything. I don't know what I would do without her! She is my wonder wall <3