VLOG: OUTSOURCING PRODUCTION??

MY GREEN JUICE RECIPE

If you're busy trying to get a business or shop up and running, it can be really easy to let healthy eating go to the bottom of your priority list.

When I am really busy, I tend to reach for the quick-grab foods, which are also usually the unhealthiest foods. That's why I like to drink a green juice, at least once every other day, if not every day.

Green juice is a yummy, easy way to get lots of nutrients without having to prepare a time consuming salad for every meal, and it makes up for the less-than-perfect diet that so many of us who own a business have.

These days, everyone knows about the health benefits of green juice, but you might not know where to start or what to put in your juice. I thought I would share my favorite recipe that I have found after experimenting with lots of different ingredients. These are things that I try to keep in my fridge at all times:

Why I Choose These Ingredients...

Green Apples - mainly added to sweeten up the drink and mask the flavor of the kale and spinach, also contains lots of antioxidants and vitamins

Kale - a "superfood", high in iron and calcium, tons of cancer preventing vitamins, lots of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular support, detoxifies your body

Cucumber - adds a fresh flavor and is 95% water, so adds a lot of juice to the mix, lots vitamins, good for your skin

Spinach - another "superfood", tons of vitamins, one of the most nutritious foods you can eat (ps make sure to get the spinach on the stalk not in the bags, as it juices much better this way!)

Lemons - detoxifies the body, flushes out toxins, lots of vitamin C, potassium, aids digestion, and more 

Ginger - good for your stomach / gastrointestinal system, helps nausea, anti-inflammatory, prevents cancer

Check out the video below to see how I put the ingredients through my juicer, if you are unfamiliar with juicing. 

Also, if you have a favorite juice recipe that you love, please let me know in the comments below! I would love to test out some new recipes. :)

DINING ROOM TOUR

Sorry to double up on the decorating posts this week, but I have been putting off showing you guys our dining room for so long now, and I finally decided that there's no time like the present!

The reason I kept putting it off is because I have been wanting to do a photo grid on the back wall above the buffet (for literally months now), but I cannot, for the life of me, find white square frames that are affordable. If anyone has a good resource for that, please let me know in the comments! I'm picturing a photo grid on that wall with black and white photos. I think it looks a little bare without it, but I just wanted to show you what I have so far anyway.

All of the links / sources can be found at the bottom of the post.

I'll start by showing you the buffet area.

Hi, Chester. Yes, I see you.

The buffet is a really cool mid-century modern design, in a pretty wood tone. It came with black doorknobs but I spray painted them gold. We actually have the night stands from this furniture suite in our master bedroom as well. It has a ton of storage inside, and it is great for keeping all of our serve ware and wine glasses organized (with room to spare!). I really like white kitchen stuff, can you tell? :) 

On top of the buffet, I just have a few little displays, including a bar tray (next best thing to having an actual bar cart).

fresh tomatoes from our tiny little flower bed garden! :)

We already had the black table.We leave one of the leaves out, which fits best in the room, but you can also make it into just a square table or expand it even more. I would really like to eventually have a bigger, farmhouse-style table, but you know...budgets. :)

I was really happy to find these chairs because I really wanted upholstered chairs, but finding something that matched our table was tricky. These have black legs which works perfectly!

The two main things that we did in this room (excluding buying furniture) were painting the stencil on the accent wall and replacing the light fixture, both of which, Wes and I had no experience.

This wall stencil, you guys...

I wish I could recommend it to you completely because it turned out pretty cute overall, but I think it's something that I need to give positives and negatives for.

+ It's easier to replace than wallpaper if you are afraid of commitment, and it looks nice overall. The middle part is really easy and I did it myself.

- The edges are really, really hard to do. If you're by yourself, I'd say it's nearly impossible. The edges of our wall look pretty rough (you can see what I mean in the video).

I have never wallpapered so I can't compare it to that and say that it's easier or more difficult, but the edges were such a pain that I think I will just spring for the wallpaper next time. I think these stencils would probably be much easier on something like furniture. Just my opinion though!

The mini-chandelier that we bought really made a big impact on the room. I could not stand the old brown one with the dirty looking glass (see below), so this was something that we changed out pretty quickly. Wes installed it by himself and did a great job!

Here is our dining room before (from the listing photos), if you'd like to compare!

shopping sources: 

paint colors: 

Behr White Truffle on all walls

stencil was done with Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter in half strength overtop of the white color

furniture:

table: Ikea

chairs: Joss & Main

buffet: Overstock

on the buffet:

bar tray: Target

bar accessories: Target

books: The Honest Life, The Pioneer Woman Cooks

recipe book: Anthropologie

ceramic berry container: Anthropologie

orange bowl and tray below: thrifted

other:

light: Wayfair

curtains: Target

MAY FAVORITES | PURE BARRE, HEALTHY LIVING, BEAUTY

This past month, I was really in the mood to get healthy and fit for summertime. It always helps when the weather gets warmer and more fruits and vegetables are in season. Plus, when the sun is shining, it gives me a boost of energy and makes me want to work out way more than cloudy, cold wintertime. 

Check out all of my favorite things from this month in the video below, and let me know what you think, and what you've been loving lately, in the comments! xo

Products Mentioned:

1. Pure Barre

2. Juicing - We have this juicer (it's great!)

3. Forever 21 sun hat (sold out but there are a lot of similar ones here!)

4. Dry Shampoo - This brand is actually my favorite, but they didn't have it at my Walgreen's

5. Revlon Colorburst Balmstains

6. The Skinny Confidential Book

7. The Honest Life Book

MEET MY SISTER, HEATHER!

When I was in Ohio last weekend, I convinced my sister, Heather, to film the popular "Sister Tag" video with me for my Youtube channel. We had so much fun! Check it out below and be sure to watch the bloopers at the end, especially if you're a Friends fan! ;) haha

Have a great weekend!

Here is the list of questions if you would like to film your own:

1. How old are you both?

2. Describe each other in one word?

3. Do people ever get you mixed up?

4. What is something that annoys you about one another?

5. What is it like being sister with a youtube "guru"?

6. Do you ever argue?

7. Whats the best thing about one another?

8. Ditch the dirt?

9. Fave inside joke?

10. Fave memory together?

11. Full sisters/half/step?

12. Guess each others fave singer?

13. Who takes longer to get ready

14. Heels or flats?

15. Pants or dresses?

16. Favorite animal?

17. If your house was burning down, and your entire family was sure to be okay, what would you save and why?

18. Comedy, horror, or chick-flick?

19. Blackberry or iPhone?

20. Favorite movie?

21. What is something weird that you eat?

22. Do you guys have anything matching?

23. What's your favorite TV show?

MY EDUCATION & CAREER BACKGROUND / COFFEE CHAT!

A lot of you have asked about my educational background, and wanted to know what jobs I had before opening my own business. I will warn you: I wouldn't look at my story as a road map to get to entrepreneurship. haha - I kind of "took the long way around".

For me, my career has been a process of trial and error; narrowing down what I wanted to do based on trying things and identifying what I definitely didn't want to do. It's not the most efficient way of doing things! But I always find it interesting to hear other people's stories, and if this is of interest to you, grab yourself a cup of coffee and check out my casual "coffee chat" video below!

FASHION FRIDAY: SPRING FASHION HAUL!

Happy "Fashion Friday"! Since yesterday was the first day of spring, I thought I would share some of the items that I have purchased over the past couple of months in preparation for spring time. The weather right now is kinda funny: some days it's warm and very "springy" but then other days, it's freezing cold. So, some of these items are a little on the cold-weather side, but overall, these are some great layering / transition pieces as it starts to get warmer. You will definitely be seeing these mixed into future "Fashion Friday" outfits on the blog and Youtube channel so stay tuned for that. :)

If you would like to see this haul in detail, check out the video below. I have also listed the links for each item at the bottom of the post so you can shop your favorites. Have a great weekend! xo!

Gifts:

Leopard Scarf

Shoulder Bag

Madewell:

Teddy Loafers

J.Crew Factory:

Floral Shorts

Two-Pocket Chambray Shirt

Demi-Wedge Sandals in Honey Brown

J.Crew:

Sunburst Skirt in Stripe

Lightweight Merino Tunic Sweater in Flannel

Jeweled Baseball Tee in Heather Slate White

JANUARY FAVORITES

Happppyyyy Friiidaaayyy! I'm so excited that today is Friday, I can't even tell you. I just...I CAN'T with this weather!!! I need some sunshine in my life, you know what I mean?? Anyway, I'll stop whining to you guys about the weather now (ps if any of my readers live in California, I hate you. Not really - I love you. I just...can I visit??).

Now that I've been Youtubing it up for a little while, I thought I might as well join the monthly favorites fun that so many Youtubers partake in. So if you'd like to see my favorite products for the month of January, check out the video below. I also added my favorite product from the shop last month as well as my best seller in January for a little somethin' different. 

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Proactiv+

Covergirl TruBlend Foundation

Maybelline Falsies Volume Express in "Blackest Black"

Revlon Matte Lipstick in 003 "Mauve It Over" (pretty sure I pronounced that wrong in the video)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 815 "Fuchsia Shock"

MAC Fix+

Anthropologie Monogram Doorknocker

Charm & Gumption Cold Hands, Warm Heart Tumbler

my January Best Seller: Charm & Gumption "What Would Bey Do" Gold Foil Print

SELLING ON ETSY: PROS AND CONS

Hey guys! This is a something that I receive a lot of questions about so I thought I would address them in a post. I have been on Etsy for a few years now and overall I love it and would definitely recommend it to those of you who are interested in opening your own creative / design business. However, as with anything, there are some negatives as well.

PROS:

1. It's User Friendly Etsy is super easy to set up and to use. Some other sites that I've used have been pretty tricky and have taken a week or two to set up but with Etsy, you can really have it all set up in as little as one day. Other steps in the process of running your business are easy too, like printing shipping labels, uploading photos, and communicating with customers.

2. Reputation Etsy is a super popular, global website that has a great reputation so you know that you're not going to experience any major problems. It has proven itself over time.

3. Advertising Etsy makes advertising super easy! You just set your weekly budget and they do the rest. It is really effective too and has paid off several times over for me.

4. Community When you join Etsy, you really become a part of a community of buyers and sellers who love to support small businesses and that is really fun! I love how easy it is to communicate with other sellers and with my customers, and I think that Etsy makes the experience feel really personal.

5. International Selling on Etsy means that your products will be in front of a worldwide market, reaching people that would be difficult to reach on your own without that platform.

6. Digital Products Etsy makes it really easy to sell digital products, like my digital prints. You just upload the file, list the product, and then people can buy it and instantly download it. Money comes in - you do nothing! Pretty great.

CONS:

1. Competitive There are a countless amount of shops on Etsy. Getting your listings to stand out from all of the others can be tricky, especially in the beginning.

2. Customization It can be tricky to put your personal stamp on the look of your shop. With the exception of the header on top of the shop, there isn't any other area to customize so shops all tend to look the same. Which brings me to...

3. Brand Recognition People often say "I got ___ from Etsy" rather than mentioning the name of the specific shop. This can make it really difficult to get your name out there, and for people to recognize your brand. I find this to be the biggest negative when it comes to selling on Etsy.

4. Fees Add Up As Your Shop Grows Etsy charges per listing and transaction, which is great when you're first getting started but as your shop grows, it becomes much more shop effective to use an E-Commerce site that charges a flat rate per month.

You can check out this video that I made for more details, and subscribe to my Youtube channel if you haven't yet! :)

Do you sell on Etsy? Do you agree with my pros and cons? I'd love to hear in the comments below! Have a great weekend!

FASHION FRIDAY: STRIPES AND BRIGHTS

I hope you guys had a great week! Today it is sunny outside (for a change) and I was feeling bright and cheerful so I wore one of my (many) striped tops with a bright yellow statement necklace and hot pink lips! The top is from Loft last year (similar), the necklace is from J.Crew, and my lipstick is Fuchsia Shock by Revlon. I also got a new bag from Target today (couldn't find it online but this one is similar) that I love! I think it looks so much more expensive than it was, and it's neutral so it matches everything. I hope you had a happy day!

Check out my little video that I made to go with this post below - I'm having a lot of fun with this whole new Youtube thing. :)

Have a great weekend! xo!

MY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO!

I started a Youtube channel! I explain why in the video, but I really just wanted to start a channel so that you and I can get to know each other on a more personal level, and also to more easily share certain types of posts. I just uploaded my first video (that's what my voice sounds like!? thank goodness I can edit out all of the "um"s! haha). Check it out below, let me know what types of videos you're interested in, and subscribe to my channel if you'd like!