Summer Nights! (insert Rascal Flatts music here)

Morning Dolls! 

It's only the beginning of Summer 2013 and I'm already completely in love. It's been hot, muggy, and stormy, but that only makes it double the fun for this country girl at heart!! Besides working on new cards for my shop, I've been doing small little family things all day! And who doesn't love that ;) The only sad part is my Canon battery died so I was left taking pictures with my iPhone. But at least I was still able to capture the excitement.

Here's just a little glimpse of how our days have been like so far this summer :).

Outdoors most of the day, and movie nights and forts! I definitely feel like I'm reliving my childhood, and it's so much fun. I haven't made it to the beach yet, but I'm saving that for when I visit my family in Florida. Which I can't wait to share with you guys!

So what have you been up to so far this summer? 

Buhbye Google-reader, Hello Bloglovin'

As I'm sure all of you know Google-reader closes in just a couple days. It's the sad truth. And it completely sucks (in my opinion) that all my favorite blogs won't be at the same place that I write my blog posts. But either way! Don't lose touch with my posts or all your other favorite blogs!!

Bloglovin'

If you haven't already head over to Bloglovin' and make an account. It's a easy and efficient feed of all the blogs that you follow and love. If you want you can click here and have all your blogs from Google-reader onto your bloglovin'. That way you don't have to refollow all the blogs you already have. It even has it's own cute little app! That way you never lose touch. 

Stay in touch

If you'd like to stay in touch completely feel free to follow me everywhere else!

Bloglovin' {here}, Facebook {here}, Tumblr {here}, Twitter {here}, Pinterest {here}

See you on the flip side! 

Tarot Card Reading

I've always been interested in getting a Tarot reading done, but I've always been afraid of the outcome. The same goes for getting my palm or future read. The future can be scary, especially if you're someone who lives in the moment, such as I am. But today as I was scrolling through my blog feed, I noticed Sam's post from My Latest Obsession about her Tarot reading, and I decided to give it a try.

Needless to say, it was the most accurate thing I've ever read in my life.

First I went to the website that gives free Tarot readings. I typed in my name, question and chose the Aquatic deck (for the illustrations) and picked the "Choose for me" option for the spread. I clicked the reversals button and then went ahead to reveal my free reading, and this is what I found…

The Two Paths spread provides insight into an important decision ahead of you, the possible outcomes, and the forces that draw you towards each of these outcomes. TheAquatic Tarot is a modern watercolor interpretation of the classic Rider Waite symbolism. It is rapidly becoming one of the most popular decks, due to both its spectacular beauty and its traditional imagery.

 The top left card represents the first possible outcome. The World, when reversed: Incompleteness and shoddy design. A great work betrayed. Insecurity, fear of change, and the failure to reach goals. Regret and disappointment.

The top right card represents the second possible outcome. Three of Swords (Sorrow): Unsettling news leading to heartbreak or loneliness. Tactless or hurtful words. Acting without consideration for the emotions of others. Betrayal of trust or confidence. The revelation of a painful truth.

The middle left card represents the force drawing you towards the first possible outcome. Queen of Pentacles: The essence of earth behaving as water, such as a hot spring: A warm and generous host, providing shelter and comfort for all who would seek it. A person steadfast, practical, and domestic, able to create opulence and stability in any setting. The qualities of maturity and sensibility, coupled with an innate appreciation for nature and the material world.

 
The middle right card represents the force drawing you towards the second possible outcome. Seven of Swords (Futility), when reversed: Being trapped in a hopeless situation and unable to withdraw. A feat of daring that is too much for you to handle. Being caught in the middle of a desperate act of cunning or outright deception.








The bottom card represents the critical factor that decides what will come to pass. Ten of Pentacles (Wealth): Completion of material prosperity and riches. Freedom from financial anxiety, the security of home, and the enjoyment of family. The passing of inheritance along to children, or the gaining of inheritance from parents.







It honestly came as a shock to me how on point this reading was with exactly what I was thinking about and feeling. All of my insecurities about both of the paths I could choose seem right on point and the outcome came out to exactly what I feared it would. At the end of the day, the realization is that either path I choose I will not be as happy as I wanted to be in the end. So does that mean pick a different path? Who can be sure.

Are you interested in seeing what kind of question could be answered for you? Or are you in a hard place and aren't really sure how exactly you feel about each path you could take? Take the free Tarot reading and let me know what you found! 

Whimsical

What's a better way to start the Summer off then being hired to do a Vintage/Retro Maternity Shoot. This couple was beyond lovely and their personalities shone right through the camera lens! This is what photography is all about. Capturing the nature of the person and putting it into a product that they will cherish forever. They even brought the most whimsical props! The car, the parasol, the baby booties and shoes, and the cute overalls. Everything about this shoot was perfect.

I love that in-between my card business, I can make people happy with an affordable and quality photography package. It's the little things that make me happy as a person and a business owner. I never understood why photographers charged 300+ for 20 pictures and an hour of their time. I spent almost two hours with this couple, gave them more than 20 pictures for 60 bucks. With todays economy people don't have 300 dollars to be blowing on pictures that come out mediocre anyway. I'm glad I can provide my services while I'm still growing as a photographer at a great rate. 

What little things do you pride yourself in?

First Day of Summer 2013

Well, Summer is finally here!! Although it's already felt like summer considering it's be scorching hot here in Maryland. (And my room has no A.C....imagine that one!) So it's time once again to busy out those bikinis, those fruity drink recipes you've pinned on Pinterest and hit the water!

However I did none of that on my first day of summer, I did have boat loads of fun! First Madalyn and I went to the Avenue and walked around. I love window shopping this time of year, saves you money too! Then we went into (my favorite store) Barnes and Noble. We grabbed a grande Strawberries and creme frappachino and a pizza stuffed pretzel from Starbucks. If you haven't tried their pretzels...DO SO!! They're so yummy and only 2-3 dollars. 

The main reason we spend our random (free) days at Barnes and Noble is because Madalyn loves playing with their train table and their Lego table. So why not sit and enjoy and little downtime while she plays. Nothing like relaxing on the first day of summer! 

Then I decided to treat my little dewdrop to a first day of summer movie. We went to go see Monsters U! And it was seriously the cutest movie ever. But everyone knew Disney was going to pull through for us there. And the monsters inc movie finally came out after all these years! My inner child was extremely happy. 

Sorry for the pictures of the pictures on my camera but my memory card decided it didn't want to dock to my MacBook right now...silly technology. 

And last but not least, I share with you a little preview of the Vintage Maternity shoot that I did for a client. It was the cutest, most retro adorable photo shoot I've ever done! Ill definitely make a post when I'm done editing the pictures. 

What did you guys do on your first day of summer? 

Coconut Passion.

Today I'm going to share with you guys a realization of mine. I am completely obsessed with coconut. Besides that glorious smell that is definitely the main smell of summer, it is also very healthy for you. Who doesn't love the smell of your tanning oil or sunscreen in the summer time?! That rich aroma of coconut just relaxes me instantly.

Not only that but I've realized a good amount of my beauty products are also coconut. Even though they're both almost empty my Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner are my one of my go-to's. The coconut milk nourishes your hair while the egg white proteins strengthen your hair and coconut oil hydrates it. 

I bought a tub of Coconut oil and I keep finding uses for it!! First I put it in my hair as a conditioner, left it in for an hour, then washed it out. It helps hydrates your hair but also helps it grow faster. Then I applied a little bit to my skin as a moisturizer. It left my skin so smooth! It was definitely better than an expensive lotion. Not only does it work with beauty, it benefits your health! I've been putting coconut oil in place of butter and other oils in my cooking for a healthier meal. Also, you can do a straight coconut oil detox to get toxins out of your body. Is there nothing coconut oil can't do?! 

And finally my coconut passion line from  Victoria Secret. I have the body wash, the perfume and the body spray, all in which I love! The smell just leaves you feeling clean and tropical and a bit sexy (if I do say so myself). 

So If you haven't jumped on the coconut craze, I definitely suggest it for this summer!! Tropical is in, baby.

Spotlighting; Jenny

Afternoon Dolls!

Today I'm going to be spotlighting this little beauty, Jenny! And her blog: The Cutest Curliest.

Jenny is an amazing and extremely inspirational blogger! She mostly blogs on lifestyle, DIY tips and also  beauty! She pretty much has anything you need to be looking for in a blog. Her DIY posts are so on point. Just like her DIY for a up cycled headband {pictured above and posted here}. 

I also adore her "must have" posts. My favorite one she has posted is her must have in a summer beach bag! Some of the things she posted made so much sense. If you've been forgetting things to pack for the beach this Summer then definitely check out her post! You can find it righhhht ----> here. 

Not to mention how on track her goals are for her blog. I just loved her lists! I'm the same way, I tend to write out a lot of lists, but I related to this post so much! And I love how she posts on her blog after she actually completed a goal. So lets get number 11 accomplished! Let's get more people to talk to her and be one big blogger family. You know you want to. ;)

PS. If you'd like to do a Spotlight swap, leave a comment below! And let me know what you think of Jenny's Blog too. :D 

It's a Car Show Summer.

Happy Father's Day everyone!

So today I woke up early and enjoyed another Car Show with my favorite people in the entire world. It's actually fun getting up early, getting stuff together, putting the top down and hanging out with a whole bunch of classic cars.

Even Madalyn had a lot of fun today. The Car show host have away tons of door prizes and even did a thing called a poker run. We had to go to different vendors and pick a card. Then make a poker hand and turn it in. The people with the highest hand won more prizes. Derek won a free tablet (cause we let him have the 4 aces and king high), I won a bag full of office supplies and Nick won a pound of coffee. It definitely was a fun day, especially when you're getting free stuff. 

Not to mention the cars were flipping gorgeous. There were '32 Roadsters, and the '67 Galaxy. 

So today was amazing and I definitely got more ideas to be a vendor in other places for my greeting cards. I hope all you fathers out there have a great Father's Day!!

Business is blooming!

WHAT CAN I SAY!?

It's a nice day outside, and business is blooming!! With Father's Day coming closer, I've managed to sell over 40 cards in four days! That's a huge success for just opening my Etsy store. I could not be more shocked and completely baffled that so many people liked my designs and greeting cards.

That only leaves me in awe, and excited for what the future might have to offer through this growing business. I can only hope it goes even better and higher from here. A girl can dream right? ;)

Besides selling my business cards I've also been featured on blogs and getting offers for Spotlight swaps and buttons swaps out the butt! I can't even explain to you guys how excited and overly excited I am to actually be doing this and making a connection with you guys and making products that you guys actually like. It makes me so unbelievably happy.

If you'd like to do a spotlight swap, I still have some places available and they'll start going up tomorrow. :D So comment me below with your email and I'll email you. Hope you guys have a great weekend and your Father's and Baby Daddy's have a great Father's day.