Update: New Tumblr ♥

You may or may not have realized that I recently made a tumblr blog (check out the link in the sidebar). My main purpose for the blog is to give ya’ll a daily dose of Photography favorites along with some inspiring quotes to make up for the lack of posts I put on this one haha. Pretty much I will still be writing on this blog every week as often as possible about a wide variety of things but for those of you interested more in photography, fashion, and easy to read tid-bits I will be posting about 5-7 photos and quotes everyday here. The reason I chose tumblr is because it’s simple, easy to post to, and it doesn’t require much thought for me to just post a photo I just found.

I hope ya’ll will keep checking in on this blog as I will continue to post more and more on things like books, movies, fashion, writing, and even some photography.

I’ll be posting more soon and remember to check out my tumblr.

-Lydia ♥

Fashion Trend Favorite: Hang Ten (Old Brand, New Style) ♥

I walked into one of my favorite stores (Kohl’s) and what do I see? My absolute favorite brand from the 1960’s has made an oh so fabulous comeback! Hang Ten first came out in the 60’s as a surf brand with comfortable and cute clothing perfect for going to the beach in. The brand began widening their selections with new winter items (one of which I own and will hopefully show you later), and the suddenly they disappeared with no more new items or collections. Well now I am pleased to announce this brand is back with some more modern pieces but still staying true to the comfortable fun in the sun feel.

With items ranging from crop tops to warm sweaters, the choices at Kohl’s are a wide range and all very cute. Even better, hang ten items are currently on sale. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites…

The above romper is a good option for those days when your going from place to place. It takes little thought to just slip on this comfortable outfit and go. I would pair this with a cute pair of gladiator sandles matching one of the colors found in the romper, and if your uncomfortable showing your shoulders and back (since it ties around) I would wear a gray bolero cardigan. This item is $22.80 and can be bought here.

This next Hang Ten outfit once again demonstrates the three things I love: cute, comfortable, and easy. You can just through this on with a pair of your favorite flip-flops and go. I like the fringe because it makes it more unique, and the crossed back is a really interesting touch. You can stand out from the crowd without really putting much thought into it.  This item is also $22.80 and can be bought here.

So go out to your nearest Kohl’s or shop online for these cute buys while they are still on sale!

-Lydia ♥

Exciting News, Updates, And a Very Evil Tarp ♥

So I know I said I would be reviewing the newly released debut novel by Anna Banks Of Poseidon. But seeing as how I am now in crutches…writing the review was not top priority. PLUS, I have some VERY exciting news! I was selected from thousands of girls to be sent a proof copy of Of Poseidon and review it for a teen girls magazine. So there really is no point in my writing to reviews…I will post ASAP when the magazine puts my review up (it should be around June 5th from what I was told).

Now, your probably wondering why the heck I am in crutches now but wasn’t two days ago (Or I just want to think that you were wondering about it). Anyways, long story short the gym hates me.

You see the gym I was at has a HUGE turf field with racquetball and squash courts all the way down on one end. People on the turf field kept breaking the glass with soccer balls and what not, so they put up a HUGE tarp type thing like they have in their basketball courts to separate the two full courts…

(Shown above is gym basketball court with the evil tarp to prevent balls from reaching the other side)

So my friend and I are playing frisbee on the turf field and he suggests we race some. Of course I knew I was gonna win (and I was right) so I got a little cocky but whatever. We raced for about 10 or 15 minutes and then he was like, “OK last race, except let’s go from this wall to the tarp.” I was like YOUR ON! but if only I knew what would happen next. So, my mom says”go”, and we start running towards the tarp. When I reached the tarp I was really far ahead of my friend…but I also was going really fast. So of course I push my hands out and the tarp swings out really wide. As I would come to learn this evil tarp has an even more evil heavy metal bar which keeps it stable in one place. I’m sure one of Newton’s laws would pretty much explain what happened but I would rather lengthen my story more by telling you through my intelligent perspective…

I pushed the evil tarp. The evil tarp got angry at me. The evil tarp through a metal bar into my ankle. My friend laughed as I fell to the ground. I am still mentally killing him in my mind.

I hope you enjoyed my little story of how an evil tarp almost broke my ankle 😀

-Lydia ♥

Graphics Favorite: PicMonkey ♥

So as y’all may or may not know I love designing graphics and novel covers. Well I always have my favorites and today I am writing about my favorite image editing website, PicMonkey. Now, I will admit that PicMonkey is not my absolute favorite for image editing but ever since Picnik closed down their site I have been using this one. It serves all the purposes graphic artists need and it has some pretty cool features.

The first stop on our little tour of pic monkey is the place where you actually do the image editing. There are of course three sample images they give you to optionally edit, but I always use my own. When you go in to edit your picture it can be a little confusing as to where certain options are but once you get the hang of it you’ll like the program. The first screen you will come to once you choose the picture you want to edit will be one with your picture on the right and effects buttons on the left.

The above is what I will refer to as the “task bar” since I am too lazy to see if it has an actual name 😉 My two favorite and most used features on the site are the ones I circled above. The “Touch Up” feature is circled in red and the “Text” feature is obviously the one circled in blue. These are my two favorite features because, 1. They are easy to use, and 2. They are just plain awesome.

I like using the touch up feature when I want to do things with photos of myself. Say I wake up early in the morning and have a sudden urge to take a picture of my messy face (not likely). Well I would use the touch up feature to cover any acne, blotchiness, whiten my teeth, and take the bags out from under my eyes. You may be a little worried that all those tasks will be difficult for you but it’s so easy a monkey could do it (Maybe that’s why they call it PicMonkey?). A side comment on the acne coverup is that I don’t think their blemish fixer works THAT well so instead I use the wrinkle remover tool. It may sound weird but once you get the hang of it, it works like a charm.

The text feature is the one I use most when designing covers for my own pieces of writing or for people who request them via my figment page. Though the selection of fonts is very limited compared to Picnik, I still think they have a good variety for a majority of projects you might be handling with this program.

So…that was my little review on a very cool image editing website. I hope you all check out my little nerd heaven and I hope to see you soon!

-Lydia ♥

What’s coming up: Websites Reccomendations and Book Reviews Galore ♥

So what’s coming up in the next couple of weeks on my favorite things?

5/1- Writing Website Review

5/2- Image Editing Website Review

5/3- Newly Released Book Review (Of Poseidon)

5/4- Favorite Fashion Trend

5/5- Book Review (The Luxe)

Hopefully I will actually keep up with this little schedule of mine, but you know how teenagers can be 😉 Our speciality is procrastinating!

-Lydia ♥

 

Favorite Photos: My month in photos ♥

So I thought something cool to do at the end of each month is sum up my month by showing you all my favorite photos I collected over the course of the month:

Accessories Are an Outfits Best Friend:

I love all the accessorizing going on in this photo. Fedoras are always a plus and I think they will still be the go to hat even in the summer. This photo also shows good use of the technique of layering. In the Spring I love to layer because you never know what the weather might turn into during the day, and the layering of jewelry gives a boring t-shirt some extra pizzazz. (http://weheartit.com/entry/27475607)

Cutest Couple ♥

This whole month has been quite the adventure with getting back together with my boyfriend, facing drama at school, and finishing up my classes at the local college all at once. I like this picture because the whole time I was going through all of this I was still floating on cloud nine because of my wonderful boyfriend Alex 🙂 (http://weheartit.com/entry/20009930/)

Short And Sweet Quote

I like this quote cause it’s short, sweet, and totally true haha (http://weheartit.com/entry/27243934/)

Funny Quote

SO many times this month have I referred the idiots in my life to this quote…mentally of course haha 😉 (http://weheartit.com/entry/26652764)

Wonderland

Everything about this post is so whimsical! I love it! Her hair, her dress, her pose, and the scene just make this photo one of my favorites of the month. (http://weheartit.com/entry/27250643)

Favorite Summer Fashion Trend

I can’t wait to try out the rompers trend we will be seeing this summer. I think I like this romper the best because of its modern yet vintage feel, and come on her sunglasses, clutch, and belt really make this outfit even more to die for. (http://weheartit.com/entry/25282069/)

-Lydia ♥

 

My Favorite: Shoes ♥

So what are my favorite pairs of shoes? Unlike most items this one is easiest to pick because I absolutely love these shoes, and the compliments that come with them (free of charge) 😉

No…your not dreaming. Those are actually my boots, they actually exist, and yes they are made of Lucky Brand jeans 🙂 My jean boots are my absolute favorite shoes for a lot of reasons. For one, they are completely different and I haven’t seen any others like them. Also, I got them for only 7 bucks at the local thrift store (cheap buys are always the best). When you buy from your thrift store you not only can get some really cute stuff but you also don’t feel guilty like you do when buying those $30 shirts from Macy’s. I know a lot of people who get all of their clothing from stores like Goodwill and Savers (I get most of mine there), but I know a lot more people who are afraid of wearing other people’s clothing. The only thing I can think of when I hear this is, Yay more for me!  But of course I feel bad since they don’t realize all you have to do is throw it in your washer/dryer and it’s as good as new.

Now, not only are these my favorite boots but they also double as a nice to place to store my things. Both boots have fully functional pockets which I normally store my phone or iPod inside. They’re comfy, they’re cute, they were affordable, and they go with everything. I like throwing them on when I am just wearing some skinnies and a tank top, or dressing them up with a cute dress. The possibilities are endless…

-Lydia ♥

Website Favorite: Pinterest vs. We Heart It ♥

I’m sure that by now you all have heard of either Pinterest or We Heart it which both have sort of the same concept; Image sharing and finding within a community. Now don’t get me wrong, both sites have certain features I like and dislike, but I always have my favorites.

Now, first up is pinterest.com in this battle of the websites.

The whole idea of Pinterest is to have your own “Pinboards” were you post images you like from your computer, the internet, or the site itself. The layout is very appealing and the idea of being able to get organized by putting my fashion photos on my fashion board and my book photos on my book photos board is very cool. But there are some things I would change about this site:

For one, you have to wait to be “invited” to the site. It took exactly two days for me to officially get my “invite” in my email, and the time spent waiting was not worth it. The site also requires that you set your account up with either a currently exsisting facebook or twitter account. This made it very difficult getting a pinterest account since I don’t have a facebook and had to borrow my friends to make the account. I of course promised I would unhook her facebook from my account once I got it made, but of course the sites “Unhook from facebook” features and buttons not only did not work but none of the account features like “Delete this account” worked. Another feature that is difficult is there “Pin it” button which attatches to your favorites bar in your web browser. The “Pin it” button is supposed to be easy to click on any website you find a cool picture or acivity and then the button will find any or all of the saveable pictures on that page. Only problem is that the button never found the pictures I wanted to save on the page 😛

In short, I think this image sharing website can be fun to look around on since there are a lot of cool ideas for crafts, designs, outfits, etc. And the site is really only appealing to certain people who wish to take a lot of time putting together pinboards,  But I wish it would let me delete my account since I no longer use it.

Our next competitor is a site called weheartit.com which is my favorite of the two.

On We Heart It you simply just click on the photos you like ont he website, choose which folder you want to add them to in your account, and then surf the web using their “Heart it” button saving whatever pictures or gif’s you want. The layout is not as appealing or clean cut, but it’s easy to use and understand.  With We Heart It you’ll find more just creative photography, gif’s, and quotes put on the site. So of course if your looking to more organize pictures of your wedding or how to design your room then Pinterest is recommended.

Instead of pinboards you have something called “Sets” which are just little easy to use folders that you can name and organize the photos you like on the website and across the web into. You can have as many of these as you would like, and my friend I actually share and account since you can have more than one person logged in at a time. We share one since we both have the same tast in art and photogrpahs and it makes it easier for us to see what the other hearted. Though you can always just follow people so you can get updates on what they like, you can also make your account private which means they have to send a request to follow you (this can sometimes be a hassle when both of you have private accounts). I like the privacy feature since sometimes I don’t want complete strangers knowing what photos I like.

**Warning**: We Heart It does have some images randomly placed among the site which are innappropriate. My suggestion is that you go into your account and put up the security setting which blocks most of these images, and only search for specific things when looking for new images. Avoid roaming the site looking at newly added stuff if your worried of seeing some of these things. People can be preverted sometimes… 😛

So really I do have my favorite which is obviously weheartit.com, but it all depends on the person and what they are looking for in an image sharing website. I hope you enjoyed my reviews and go explore the image websites talked about today.

-Lydia ♥

Fashion Trend Favorite: Flashdance ♥

On trend this season more than ever is 80’s fashion, or more Flashdance fashion. Flashdance was a popular movie in the 80’s that brought trends like leggings, leg warmers, loose fitting sweaters, and off the shoulder tees. If your looking for a laid back but stylish look this is def the look for you…

The above outfit was styled with a relaxed afternoon in mind. You can be comfy and stylish all at once with this outfit, and seperate the pieces by incorporating them into other outfits. I chose the RonJon off the shoulder sweatshirt because of it’s comfiness but also versatility. This sweatshirt can be worn in this outfit or thrown over a tanktop and jeans when in a hurry. The added color from the logo adds just enough color to this otherwise basic outfit. Leggings are always a basic need in a closet and I buy mine at Walmart or Old Navy. The reason why I do this is because you get a good enough quality for the small price you pay. The black leg warmers could be bought anywhere but I  like these because they are cheap and black goes with everything 🙂

Above we have a coral off the shoulder crop top inspired by actual Flashdance fashion. If your uncomfortable showing too much skin you can always through a black tank top under the shirt but still have that subtle Flashdance feel. For the pant I went with a coral belted yoga capri which is not necessarily keeping on track with the Flashdance theme, but it will still compliment your top while still being comfortable. If your feeling really 80’s you can always go with a capri legging and some basic leg warmers. When you wear the leg warmers be sure to scrunch the warmer small enough to cover only your ankle and then stretch/style to your liking. Don’t forget to add your favorite tennis shoes and scrunchie your hair up 😉

Don’t have enough money to shell out for these outfits?

Here’s an easy way to turn that thrift store sweatshirt into an 80’s top: http://www.ehow.com/how_5507880_make-flashdance-costume-80s-party.html

Nix the leotard & spandex, and add a simple pair of workout pants or leggings. With the help of my styled outfits you’ll have yourself a Flashdance inspired outfit in no time.

-Lydia ♥