MaryJanes and Galoshes

Skin care GIVEAWAY with #EclosAnti-AgingKit

2012-05-24T16:03:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of éclos Skin Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm very excited to tell you guys about a skin care line that was recently intorduced to me. Although I am one to lust after fancy expensive products, I am not one to buy them. éclos Skin Care heard our cry for amazinly rich products at a budget friendly price and you have a chance to win the full line!

I'm sure your probably overwhelmed with all the choices in skin care. But éclos Skin Care features Apple Stem Cells extracted from a rare Swiss apple which have shown tremendous ability to stimulate skin stem cells, encouraging aging skin to behave like younger skin. Plant extracts, vitamins and anti-oxidants combine with the Apple Stem Cell technology to help minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and tired skin. That sounds pretty amazing right?! While the products used to sell at specialty prices for high dollar prices, they are now available at a fraction of the cost for all of us to enjoy.

The line consists of a few products, some you use twice a day, others twice a week.

Facial Cleanser Skin Prep- is a twice a day, luxurious foaming cleanser.
Instant Radiance Facial Scrub- and exfoliating scrub to be used every other day (or as needed).
Cellular Activator Face Serum- used twice daily
Restorative eye cream- twice daily
Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream- twice daily
Skin Renewal Clay mask- twic a week (or as needed).

One lucky winner will recieve all of these products plus a headband to keep it all out of your hair! Just comment below and tell me why you would be excited to try out the line!

Spa day in Vegas? Yes please! -Giveaway!

2012-05-21T01:49:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bloom.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

What is better than you and your three besties having a spa day in Las Vegas? How about a whole weekend, and letting Bloom.com pay for it!

Bloom.com is giving away a FOUR girlfriend luxury spa weekend in Las Vegas Nevada, all expenses paid at the 5 star luxury hotel Aria!!! Even better, it's free to enter.

So what is Bloom.com? It's a social networking site for women to find and buy the right beauty products. You can find unbias feedback from others who match your beauty profile on products that your interested in using! Find out what the latest trends are, if that hot new lipstick actually lasts all day or is true to color, or who what products are a major fail (and save yourself some cash.... your going to want it in Vegas!).

I took a minute to sign up and see what it was all about. They do ask you to sign up through Facebook, which is conveninent for me as it saved me time in entering information. But I realize some do not have FB accounts or like to use them. Once signed up it asked me to click a few beauty interests and concerns. Once they knew a bit about me, they matched me up with others who are similar so that I can check out what they have to say! I was also asked if I would like to invite friends to join for a chance to earn $25 credit and an extra entry into the Vegas weekend giveaway!

Probably my favorite part of the site...... it's not just expensive high end makeup! I love all the big brands, Urban decay eye shadow rocks my world... but for the most part I purchase the latest trends from the convenience store. I was thrilled to see that not only does Bloom.com tell me what's the hottest product that I can order online, but it has inexpensive faves like Covergirl recomendations too! It's a one stop shop, because now I can save money not only by purchasing that inexpensive product, but I can get it right on Bloom and save myself the trip into the nearest town!

Bloom has 10,000 items from 150+ top brands. Purchases come with free gifts and 10% back in Bloom Dollars. First time purchasers can get 30% back on their first order.

Win a spa vacation for 4 girlfriends!Win a spa vacation for 4 girlfriends! Head over to Bloom.com, sign up and your entered to win their giveaway! I love your comments, but comments left here will not get you entered, you have to sign up. And if you win....... I will totally go with you ;)

It's going to be a bumper crop year in my garden thanks to Whitney Farms!

2012-05-09T03:49:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Some of you may recall two years back when I built (and by I built, I mean I handed my husband a photo of one I wanted and sent him off to creat it) my table top garden. I don't have much of a green thumb so the first year when we didn't produce much I wasn't surprised. We had a handful of strawberries and a decent crop of green beens. But everything else I planted was a fail. So for season two I decided to only do beans and strawberries, but this time I got zero beans and the birds beat me to my strawberries..... GRRRRR.

This year I mean business! As it's a table top garden it's important to use good soil and fertilizer. So I'm using organic soil and organic plant food from Whitney Farms®.

My kids like to get involved and I like to make sure the garden is safe for them as it's on the deck where they often play. So things like low dust and low ordor are important to me. Whitney Farms® products not only give me those benefits but are also 100% natural plant foods and soils with no additives and nothing artificial. Just ingredients from the Earth, designed to give you big, beautiful flowers and veggies.

So this year I'm growing strawberries (my plants from last year actually CAME BACK! And even spread out so fingers crossed that it will be a good year) and some flowers! We are also planting out large yard garden this year for the first time so I'm excited to see what we can make happen there. If you have any good gardening tips for me I'm all ears!!! Oh, and for the birds that were eating my strawberries, I did get an owl, I call him Frank..... My husband calls him Hooty.... because he's kind of a nerd. The kids look at us both like we are a bit off, but that's the way kids are supposed to look at their parents right?

Don't rush out to grab yours just yet..... take a minute to grab a $3 off coupon for your Whitney Farms® product! You can find it here. Happy Gardening!

Mikarose GIVEAWAY!

2012-04-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

As the weather gets warmer I get the itch to add new things to my wardrobe. We all do, right? Well, maybe not the men so much, I know my husband would wear the same clothes his entire life if I allowed it. He's not all that fond of my need for new threads seasonally either, but this $50 gift card giveaway could help you out with that!

I recently found Mikarose, Reinventing Modesty. Because you can be sexy AND modest, and Mikarose is making it easy! They have the vintage influence that makes them perfect for MaryJanes and Galoshes fans. I picked up this dress (it's my first dress with pockets and I'm giddy about the idea LOL).

I was pleasantly surprised when the dress arrived with the belt! The dress itself is a very nice quality. For the price it's a major bargain! The skirt was lined making it even more luxurious. For my body (I'm long in the torso) the pockets were a bit to high to be comfortable, and stuck out a bit making me wider in the hips, I'm hoping that once I wash it the fabric will soften up a bit and relax. Overall the dress fit beautifully which was a nice surprise as I'm big in the chest. If your looking for a dress that will flatter any figure, this is a great choice!

Of course there are a ton of other cute things on their site to choose from! And one lucky winner will get $50 to spend as they like! To enter, have a look around Mikarose then comment on this post what you would use your gift card for!

For an extra entry- "Like" Mikarose on Facebook and/or blog about this giveaway (or share as your FB status!) with a link back to this post. You can have ONE MORE entry for pinning (on pinterest) your favorite item from the Mikarose site (and comment that you did)!

Giveaway open to US and Canada residents only. Giveaway ends April 30th at midnight central time. Winner chosen at random!

Lawn Care, getting the studio ready!

2012-04-21T13:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The weather is toying with us here in Wisconsin lately. Our yard makeover has been coming along nicely as we prepare to open the MaryJanes and Galoshes Photography Studio! We are getting ready for a HUGE yard sale so that we can get the school house emptied out and start making it into an awesome studio. Hopefully the weather next weekend is much nicer for our sale than it is this week, very cold and wet!

So far we have replaced the rocks around the house and have started to thinka bout where we want to get rid of the grass and plant some nice flower patches, but I have started to wonder what we can do to make the actual grass portions of the yard look nicer. We have pets so there is a lot of wear and tear going on in our yard. Not to mention the kids and all their toys and bikes! I was recently told about the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System and think I may give that a try! We have a HUGE yard so it's nice that they offer Snap perks on Facebook to their customers.

It looks really easy to use (remember, I am no green thumb!).

Have you ever fed your lawn? I always wondered why some people had such nice, lush, green lawns. I assumed it took a lot of work and care, but the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System makes it look easy!

Winner!

2012-04-09T16:19:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Laura Padgett! She won the SexyModest Boutique giveaway! Laura, please email Paige@sexymodest.com to claim your prize! Thanks!

SexyModest Boutique GIVEAWAY!

2012-04-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

As a photographer I do a lot of online shopping for clients (okay, so I find some fabulous stuff for myself too). Most of them are shopping for family portraits, but the moms are still young and stylish as they typically have young children. It can be difficult to find them fantastic stylish options while still making them feel comfortable in front of my camera. No one wants to wear something they feel too sexy in for a family photo in front of some strange woman telling them what to do and where to look LOL. We don't need any wardrobe malfunctions here.

I was very excited when I was recently introduced to SexyModest Boutique. Their shop is all about looking FABULOUS without looking inappropriate (because we're moms, not street walkers).

I love this look for pictures

Some skinny jeans, fabulous shoes and your set!

Maybe your more of an accessories girl (like me). I think I'm going to order this purse, I love white purses for summer.

Excited for summer?

How about NOW! Is that not the cutest suit!!!!

Are you ready to win something fabulous for yourself?

One lucky reader will receive the item (any item!!!) of their choice from the SexyModest Boutique!
How to enter:
1. Share the video (below) on your Facebook wall with the caption "Just became a FAN of this adorable clothing boutique. This is hilarious."
2. "Like" SexyModest Boutique's Facebook page.
3. Write on THEIR facebook wall that MARYJANES AND GALOSHES sent you. You MUST include who sent you in order to enter as there are multiple giveaways going on. This increases your chances of winning as your only entering with other MJandG readers ;)

Giveaway ends at Midnight Central time on .Sunday April 8th (yes, Easter). SHIPPING IN THE USA ONLY, SORRY! Good luck!

Spreading the Joy of Spring with Potted Bulbs!

2012-04-01T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of iBulb for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I seem to have a new found confidence in growing things this year. With everything I've been learning about bulb flowers and how easy they are to grow, not even I (the girl with a black thumb) can mess this up! To share my new found love of potted bulbs I decided to spread the gift of spring!

Above is Galoshes (my mother) holding her new flower box that I filled with begonia bulbs! She has been working on getting the yard ready for us to open our photography studio and one thing we have been trying to decide about is what to do on the house to spruce it up a bit. I thought a window box would be perfect and the pop of color once the flowers bloom against the white house would be perfect. She was very excited to receive the planted box all ready to be hung which will greet her guests all summer long with gorgeous pink flowers.

I think we are all more budget conscious these days, but we still want to show appreciation to those we love (or those who invite us into their homes, great hostess gift!!!). Cut flowers are nice, but how about potted bulbs instead which continue to grow and be enjoyed far beyond the life of a cut arrangement. You may be surprised at just how easy it is to create your own bulb arrangements. A fun planter, some dirt, drop in the bulbs (you can even mix a variety of bulbs in one pot for the perfect arrangement!) and cover with a little more dirt. I stuck some cute things in the dirt before gifting to spruce up the dirt, but you can also buy bulbs that have already bloomed and repot them!

I chose these begonias, which are made for hanging baskets, so that they would cascade outside of the window box when grown.

I barely even had to touch the dirt for this project!

Potted bulb plants are perfect for

Easter hostess gifts
Teacher gifts
Thanks you gifts
Teaching your kids about plants, very kid friendly planting project!
Bringing great colors and smells INSIDE without breaking the bank.

Potted bulbs are also very easy to find! Pick them up at your local grocery store, garden center or flower shop. I always forget to plan tulips in the fall so I'm very thankful to be able to find potted tulips in the spring all ready for me to enjoy (and inside safe from the animals!). Happy Spring!

A session with MaryJanes and Galoshes Photography- behind the scenes

2012-03-27T13:32:00.001-05:00

Baby Girl

2012-03-26T07:18:00.001-05:00

I had my first maternity shoot yesterday! It went amazing and I'm so excited about the images. I wanted to share one of my absolute fave pics so far. We love to not only take portraits, but make art with our clients. Like this!

Behind the Scenes of MJ&G Photography

2012-03-21T10:04:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder what goes into planning a MJ&G session? A LOT! I can't wait to show you a start to finish so you can see how it all plays out, but for now here are some planning stages of an upcoming engagement shoot. I like to get as many visuals down on paper as I can that way my assistant and I can have a clear vision together of what we are going for as well as keeping all my ideas as I tend to have super creative moments then go blank. That's why all the best songs are written on napkins, right?

After the initial thought has marinated in my brain, I get out the ipad and bring up Penultimate. I absolutely love and highly recommend the app for adults and children alike. I create a notebook for the shoot and start gathering my thoughts and inspiration. I Have a major plan for an upcoming engagement shoot so that's what I'm working on at the moment and sharing here. Here are some screen shots of the notebook-

The Penultimate notebook is not shared with the client. It's my place to write down things that will make sense to me and share things with my assistant.

For a full concept shoot like this one, I also make up an inspiration board for the client to go off for choosing wardrobe. It's hard for clients to visualize my words, these boards make it MUCH easier to get everyone on the same page. Here is the client board for this session.

The props (the car, picnic basket, bench, ect) of course are provided by MJ&G. The wardrobe board is of course flexible and meant purely for inspiration.

All of this work is done behind the scenes before your shoot which is what makes MaryJanes and Galoshes Photography so unique and custom for each client.

I can't wait to share with you the actual session so you can see how things come full circle!

It's all about the sparkle!

2012-03-20T18:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Platinum Guild International USA for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

You have seen all the commercials lately on how the price of gold is through the roof and now is the time to bring in your old jewelry for some serious cash, but I bet you haven't realized how that may mean something completely different for those shopping for jewelry! I'm not a huge fan of yellow gold, naturally I fawned over platinum options when we shopped for my engagement ring ten years ago, but ten years ago it wasn't nearly as feasible as it is right now.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes saying "hello! recession?!" BUT hear me out. No, not all of you are in the market for jewelry right now. But I happen to be attending several 2012/2013 weddings and when it comes to bridal jewelry you have to think of investment. What other thing in your life are you going to wear every single day for years to come? NOTHING!

So what makes Platinum so feasible right now? Yes, it's still more expensive than gold, BUT as the price of gold has risen, the gap between the price difference has closed and it's less of a stretch with a lot more bang for your buck to make the upgrade.

A few facts about Platnum-

Platinum is a naturally white metal, meaning it will never fade or change color, or need to be dipped or re-plated.
Platinum’s pure color means that it won't cast any color onto the diamonds or colored gemstones it holds, allowing the stones to shine brighter than in any other setting.
Platinum is the densest precious metal (meaning it's strong, and will keep your stones safe and secure as well as hold up to all the wear and tear of everyday use).
All of the great jewelry houses like Tiffany and Cartier only use platinum for engagement ring settings.
Platinum loses very little metal to scratching or everyday wear; instead the metal is simply displaced on the ring’s surface, causing the ring surface to strengthen through work hardening.

I wish I had known these things when we purchased my husband's wedding ring. He's in construction so his ring shows a lot of wear almost 9 years later. Perhaps it may be time to consider making the upgrade.

If you are interesting in learning more about the benefits of Platinum check out precious platinum's "Why Platinum" section for tons of great information.

Win a Yard Makeover!

2012-03-16T15:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that the weather is warming up here in Wisconsin I'm having that "I want a dream yard and garden" feeling. Of course I never actually make it happen because 1. I'm just finally starting to learn about how to actually grow things properly (thanks to Dig Drop Done breaking it all down for me) and 2. (I always seem to forget this) I hate yard work! I've been spending a lot of time on their site learning and preparing for a trip to the garden center.

You may remember me telling you about Dig Drop Done and the hilarious women there who are teaching me all about gardening (and specifically bulbs, because they are easy for people like me with no green thumb) in a way I can actually understand. No boring gardening books here! There are a few ladies on Dig Drop Done who teach you about bulbs and different ways to use them. Each one has their own lifestyle and although my life is more like Marcy (shes the supermom), I'm a total Juliana! I may not LIVE in the city, but I'm soooo not a dig in the dirt and get dirty kind of girl (and neither is she) but I do love the idea of growing my own beautiful arrangements to fill the house.

It was my first go to source this year as the bug hit and I remembered about planting bulbs indoors (because I live in a state that teases you with warm weather then hits to you with a snow storm, so I know better than to jump the gun outside). As we speak I have a bulb planted in the window of my kitchen and I can not wait to see if I actually manage to grow something!

If you prefer to plant outside but are as clueless as I am as to where to start, to problem! Curbside Chaos has a Garden Guru tool to help you out. After choosing your country, find your location and see what color it is.

Once it knows where you live you need to choose what month you want your flowers to bloom. That way you can plant a variety of flowers that bloom at different times and have a constantly changing garden that always looks amazing with VERY little effort! Each flower that comes up for the month you choose is complete with full instructions and color photos! I happen to really love Hyacinths for their amazing fragrance!

As for the rest of the yard... perhaps I should try my luck in the Curbside Chaos contest to win a $5,000 yard makeover with @TaniyaNayak. It's the final month to enter, you have until April 15th. Just submit a photo of your yard on to Curbside Chaos enter.

Want to give back? For every share on Twitter "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuild Together, the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

Ready to plant something?

visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

Photo shoot, beach Maryjanes and Galoshes Photography

2012-03-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

We are all about props, even if we have to build them ourselves. See the rest of the shoot here.

Facebook Timeline

2012-03-02T15:45:00.001-06:00

A bank page can be the most intimidating thing to a person. Today I was faced with filling my new Facebook timeline header for my business page. I'm sure it will change frequently, but this is what I decided on for now.

What do you think?

DIY Nail Transfers

2012-03-01T10:38:00.001-06:00

This morning I came across this image on Pinterest and fell in love.

I had also just happened to have gotten a new dark base color that I wanted to try out so off I went! I tried using the floral colors with a toothpick to dab on some flower like shapes..... it was an EPIC FAIL!

Back to the drawing board.... I tried to look up nail transfers hoping to find these. I have never purchased the transfers in the past because I feel they are overprices... but I loved these enough to give it a shot. Couldn't find them. The closest I came was another version on Mod Cloth that was out of stock. BUT in the process I came across this video on making your own transfers. It uses clear plastic to make your design on. Which means I can set it on top of an image I like and attempt to trace paint it. I googled for some images of vintage fabric and wall paper. I think I will try some of these.

Here is the video. I will let you know how it works out for me!

Pretty Handmade Headbands

2012-02-27T11:41:00.001-06:00

I have been working on some new photo props and thought I would share some pics. Eye candy :)

I can't wait to get them on some clients!

Red Carpet Fashion

2012-02-23T18:00:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I LOVE movies, but when it comes to the awards..... I'm really only in it for the fashion. The red carpet is an event in itself! This year I'm tuning into the Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE, presented by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!

Who is your favorite red carpet star? Charlize Theron has always been my favorite on the carpet, lately I'm very much into Emma Stone as well. I will admit that I'm usually more into the hair than the dresses.... are stars really shocked when they make the worse dressed lists? I guess fashion is all about taking risks!

So not only will it be about the fashion, but about fabulous recipes to make for your award show party! And since It's an I Can't Believe It's Not Butter night, it's all about making delicious foods better for you. You can check out a full array of recipes here. I'm eyeing the Brie and Spicy Apple Chutney on Baguette toast, yum!

The Red Carpet LIVE event is hosting a contest as well. You could win this fabulous night in package!

It includes 4 champagne glasses, 4 personalized champagne glass charms, 6 recipe cards using I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, baguette board with dipping bowl, and a coupon for a FREE tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Makes you want to entertain doesn't it! Check out contest rules here, one lucky MJ&G reader that Tweets what they love about the pre-show with the hashtag #ToastRedCarpet AND comments on this post on what they love most about the Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE show will get the opportunity to win the awesome I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Ultimate Viewing Party prize package.

Live streaming of the event starts at 6pm eastern on February 26th. Mark your calendars, I'll see you there!

Clearing nose pores, I finally figure it out!

2012-02-17T13:59:00.000-06:00

I finally figured it out!!!!

I have spent the last.... maybe two?.... years trying to figure out how to get the pores on my nose clean. I've used countless nose pore strips (that's attractive). Watched YouTube videos on using Elmers glue as a mask (yes.... I admit I tried it, pointless), steamed my face, scrubbed, stripped, masked, I've done it all. I wash my face twice a day (do not wash your face more than twice daily, it's bad for your completion), I've tried lots of different brands of products, but nothing was getting those little dark dots out of my pores. I HATED them. Even with makeup I didn't feel like they were covered.... my nose hurt from trying to squeeze them out (don't judge me LOL). I had given up.

A little over a week ago I was looking online for a sugar scrub (I found one I love and will have to share with you soon!) recipe which I believe was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest? I'm not quite sure why I got the bug, but anyway..... while researching sugar scrubs I started to learn about oils and came across an oil mask. Maybe I should have bookmarked that in case you would be interested..... but at the time I had no idea what I had just found and how it was going to be shared here now. Anyway, you don't need it for today's purposes and Google is your BFF if you have to find it. I read about how oil is being stripped from our faces to much and how oil free products aren't as great for our skin as we are made to think. Then I found information gold!!!!

Those little dark dots filling my nose pores? NOT CLOGGED DIRT!!!!

In fact, I learned that when oil from your face comes in contact with air, it turns that dark color. Which makes us think it's dirt so we scrub and scrub and scrub..... which strips the natural oil.... which causes our skin to product more because it thinks we are lacking! What a vicious cycle.

Well, I had just happened to have picked up a bottle of Jojoba oil (which I found at Sally's beauty supply). Mine is not this brand, but I couldn't find an image on their site.... You could also find it at a natrual food store I would think. I was actually surprised to find it at Sally's (and it was less than $6!).

So after washing my face at night (and applying my night moisturizer) I started putting a thin layer of pure jojoba oil on my nose. After the first day I started to see a slight fading on my nose pores, so I started putting it on at both my morning and evening face washes. Almost a week of doing this now and my nose is almost 100% clear!!!! I'm beside myself excited and thought I would share my findings.

Photography

2012-02-16T15:48:00.002-06:00

It was nice out this morning while my oldest was at school so the twins and I spent some time outside with the camera. It's a gorgeous sunny day here today!

Mr. Personality..... Clipix

2012-02-14T13:00:00.001-06:00

You know when you think your in love with a guy, but he just doesn't have everything your looking for? But your so in love with him you stay with him.... until he eventually leaves you (what?! leave ME!) and you end up finding that new guy (most likely that guy your mom has been trying to set you up with who has the "great personality" you've been avoiding) only to find he not only has everything you've been looking for but (gasp!) MORE! Meet my new boyfriend....

I spent the weekend getting to know clipix. It's everything I have been wanting in a bookmark site... with features I didn't even realize I wanted until they gave them to me! I'm excited to introduce you to it as it does a lot of things I had been longing for in an online bookmarking site. The biggest thing for me is the ability to make boards private!!! Although I know I get a lot of inspiration seeing what other's are bookmarking, there are some things I would rather not share. Like that really cute Etsy find that I can totally make myself...... I'd rather not publicly mark it for all to see I plan on copying it. I don't like to rip off other people's ideas unless it's for personal use only ;) Or when I find something I want to use for business, I don't always want the whole world to see my game plan... especially when I'm planning for a popular venue show! You can also choose to make your boards visible to friends only. Heck you can even collaborate a board with friends! There is a little button on each board that lets you easily add friends to that board specifically or even just email the board to them for veiwing. Hello photographer client tool!!!! I'm seeing many "what to wear" inspiration boards in my future which I will easily send right to my client ahead of their shoots.

You can clip from Facebook which is huge as I follow a lot of my favorite photographers there and like to save their images to inspire me. Not all sites allow you to access images on FB. It also adds a note to each image (usually the title of the article) to the clip for me which saves me a lot of time and hassle. The biggest reason I love the privacy board... sometimes I see things that inspire new ideas in me and I want to make note of what it makes me think of (an original idea that stemmed from the inspirational image). I may not have time to create that idea for a while and I don't want to forget it, but I don't want anyone else seeing that idea until I am able to put it into action either. Up until now I've added somewhat crypitc messages in these cases, or just saved the image to my computer with a note, but I usually end up forgetting it's there until I'm cleaning out my files. That doesn't do me any good!

Another feature I'm loving..... multi boards, sub boards, what ever you want to call them... you can put multiples boards inside one larger board (which for a color coding Capricorn like me is AMAZING). I've broken down my "food" board into all the different meal and drink categories! Now everything is even faster and easier to find.

After just hours of using the site and playing around I pulled out the ipad and searched for an app. I've been trying to find a way to use the other bookmarking sites I love on my ipad but have given up, it was more of a hassle (even with apps) than I was willing to put up with. Well my clipix app was super easy to install and works like a charm! Making me one happy girl! The app was designed for iphone, but I'm having no issues with it on my ipad. Now I don't have to kick myself when I find cute ideas on my ipad rather than my computer. The clip button is right there for me!

I'm not one to "invite friends" to anything on Facebook, I'm just not into it. But I was so excited I invited 50 friends to join before clipix told me I had reached my limit for that invitation LOL. For some reason a lot of my friends got an unsecure message when they tried to access my invite, but I assured them I had been using it and found it to be safe (and so useful). So you may or may not have the same experience. If you do, just tell them to go to the site directly at clipix.com like I did.

I've even added a +clip button to my sidebar to make it easy for you to clip things from MJ&G :) (it's under the find me section with the rest of my buttons).

So my boards are just still little baby boards, growing bigger every day, but here is a snapshot of mine so you can see what all my excitement is about! You can see the little locks at the top of each board which tells me what boards I have marked public and which are private. You can also see one of those multi boards I was telling you about.

You are also able to view the clips from others who are using the site. I feel like clipix focuses a little less on community and a little more on being a useful tool, but if your curious to see who else it out there you can! You can also search the community for specific things you might be looking for. Here is a snapshot of the community page.

I could go on for another hour telling you why I'm using this (free!) site and sharing all my screen captures explaining every detail (like how you can change the color of your wallpaper to suit your style), but I will spare you the boredom of listening to me and just say to check clipix out yourself.

So my biggest plans for my Clipix account is to build my highly detailed planning boards for events (birthday parties, photo shoots, ect) as well as things I want kept private (ideas for that big trade show, business leads, great business card ideas....) What would you use it for?

Promoted Post

90210 Has style Jessica aka Silver French braids

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

I loved 90210 back in the day and I love the updated version now! Sometimes the fashions make me think they're crazy, but usually they are pretty inspirational. I happen to love Silver, who doesn't love a fellow artist. I'm not much into stars or celebs, but I think Jessica (the girl who plays silver) is absolutely adorable!

On a recent episode she rocked double French braids while managing to not look like an 8 year old. I thought it was really cute so I took some mental notes. Her hair is pretty short so anyone can pull this off. The key is to keep your braids really low (close to your hairline and ears) and do a messy flip in the back. You also need to leave some stray hairs out in front of and behind the ears. I tried to find an image from the episode to share but no luck. So here is mine.

Which 90210 star inspires your style?

Tips for Photographing Your Baby

2012-02-10T11:35:00.001-06:00

Are you or someone you know expecting a baby? Or maybe you have a brand new little one??? Well Delia of Delia Creates is celebrating her pregnancy with a Nesting series filled with fabulous baby projects!!! Some of them are seriously so cute it almost makes me want a baby....... ALMOST.... okay, maybe not even almost, but it makes me want to craft for a baby LOL.

Anyway..... I'm todays guest! And I'm sharing tips on photographing your baby :) So stop over and check it out (and the other fab Nesting projects!).

Color play! Makeup

2012-02-07T14:14:00.001-06:00

Just thought I would share a look I had fun with the other day. I think it's blue shadow done right..... if you disagree feel free to keep that to yourself ;)

How to take a picture of a toddler, by Stacie Turner

2012-01-16T10:12:00.004-06:00

I recently came across this post on Staci Turner's photography blog. I thought it was absolutely hillarious, the kind of post you read and think "darn it, I wish I could write like that!". So I had to share!

How to take a picture of a todder, by Stacie Turner

Decide where you want the picture to be, take out your camera and meter the light.
Place toddler in selected spot.
Retrieve toddler from top of bookshelf and return to selected spot.
Get lollipop from cupboard.
Put toddler back in selected spot and give her lollipop.
Wipe lollipop smear from toddler’s face, top of bookshelf, and fur of cat.
Get out bubbles.
Return toddler to selected spot and blow bubbles to keep him interested.
Stop to mop up spilled bubble liquid.
Light has moved. Pick new spot and meter.
Put a basket in new spot.
Put toddler in basket.
Retrieve toddler from behind chair where he is playing with the outlet.
Remind self that you do NOT want a call from preschool in which the teacher inquires where your child learned to say those words.
Put brand new toy in basket along with toddler.
Throw broken toy away, retrieve toddler from kitchen where he is eating cat food.
Consider putting bowl of cat food where the light is good. Reject this idea.
Sew velco to butt of toddler pants and onto pillow. Place child on pillow where light is good.
Remove pillow from child’s behind and re-stuff with something heavier. Reattach child.
By now the light is gone.
Put camera away, pour self drink.