it's been a cold, wintery month up here in idaho. we've been busy with midterms (yuck) and thinking about spring. i've never been more excited for springtime to roll around. especially since big changes are happening- or maybe i'll call it a switch up - since we are moving to sacramento for spring/summer. i can't wait to be in the california heat with lots of our friends. it will be a very busy summer, but i'm longing for a change. as you might be able to tell from how my blog keeps changing i love change! i am always switching things around our apartment and moving furniture. for some reason i can't stop it! i just get bored too easily with the same routine, same arrangings of items, same stuff laying around. i'm always cleaning and re-organizing. good thing spring cleaning is coming up sooner than we think!

i will gladly welcome march.

++ p.s. last day to receive 25% off ad spots! use code "CELEBRATE" at the ad shop.  

i've had a lot of requests on writing more about my photography tips and tricks. so therefore, all your dreams are coming true! i am starting a new series, Simple Photography Tips, to help all you bloggers, photographers and anyone with a camera. if you are a beginner to photography, i have answered questions relating to you here. i'll be posting new tips to the series as often as i can. if you ever have any questions and would like me to add it to the series, please comment with your questions below!

past posts related to photography:

+ Q&A / photography for beginners
+ My journey to photography
+ What's in my bag? 
+ Be yourself, Everyone else is taken

it makes you feel good. i'm getting all the vitamins and minerals to boost my energy and immune system. it's a great feeling when you know it is 100% juice with no artificial sweeteners.

there are so many different views out there about how juicing does nothing for you and you aren't getting the fibers from the fruits and vegetables, etc etc. my take on it is just this: i personally am not a huge vegetable and fruit eater. i've always been that way because i'm a picky eater (getting better though!) and it's always been hard for me to eat multiple servings of fruits and vegetables a day in my diet. so with juicing, even if i don't get those fibers from actually eating it, i know i am getting the minerals and vitamins that i normally wouldn't get otherwise.

my husband and i usually juice in the morning with mostly fruits and some vegetables and at night with mostly vegetables and little fruit.

we recently bought the book (above) "The Big Book of Juices" and we're slowly trying out different juice variations. they also have great smoothie recipes. it's a great price for tons of juice recipes and i love that it explains more about what fruits and vegetables you can juice and the health benefits for each. it's such a great resource!

image taken with my iphone 4 and edited with VSCO Cam app

we have been married for 6 months now and it has been the best months of my life. i love this man of mine with all my heart. he is my best friend and i am so thankful for the love he gives me every day. i can't imagine life without him!

happy 6 months husband!

 
this morning we woke up to the rexburg winter finally hitting us. it snowed all night and the wind is strong so we woke up to a tall drift of snow outside our bedroom window. since it gets so warm in our apartment, we sleep with the window cracked open. luckily the snow didn't fall on me while i was sleeping because there was a little pile of fresh snow on the window sill... so to cure the winter blues, we had leftover crepes for breakfast from the night before. and those crepes were so delicious.

when i was in high school, i went to peru for 2 weeks doing humanitarian work there. i brought my personal journal along with me to write about my experiences. at one of our last areas we visited, i put my journal in the hotel night stand drawer and totally forgot about it until we were on the airplane flying to our last destination. when i realized i hadn't packed it, i was incredibly sad. i had written in that journal since i was 14 (!!!) and journal writing was very special to me.

lesson learned: it's time for me to get a travel journal! since then, i've written in a new journal, but i would love to have a small travel journal to carry along with me. i spotted this one on pinterest and now i'm set on finding the right one, especially since we're planning our 2 week trip to Europe for the end of the summer! just in time for our wedding anniversary.

st thomas was by far my favorite place we visited while on our cruise. i would love to go back there sometime and stay longer to explore the island and the islands next to it. we hadn't planned ahead on what we wanted to do, so when we got off we decided to take a tour of the island first. we hopped on the tour bus back of a truck with benches kind of tour bus, and held on for our dear lives. the drivers there are crazy and the roads are very narrow. we soon learned why these drivers were honking all the time at each other- it's a form of communication! they honk at friends they know, or to be courteous to the other drivers by saying hello. yes, there are also the angry honks, but where do you not get that?

guess what? we finally finished our coffee table! i tell ya, it looks easy to make but it was difficult. neither of us are craftsmen, so it was many lessons learned in the making of this future family heirloom coffee table. several worn out screws and 3 broken drill bits later, we were happy to display it in our apartment for our pizza get together last night with friends.

+ i'm guest posting over at Third Floor Design Studio today!!

i have revamped and finalized my branding for my design blog (!!!) for any design tips, freebies and my latest work, follow my design blog.


don't worry, i am keeping this little blog up and running but will be focusing more on lifestyle, photography and travel. i have started a poll on the sidebar and would love to get your feedback. comment below on what posts have you liked in the past and what would you like to see more of so i know how to focus my blog for my readers!  

+until the end of february, take advantage of 25% off sponsorship! use code CELEBRATE at the ad shop

i love valentines day! especially now that i'm married and can celebrate with my wonderful husband. it's amazing how you think you can love someone so much, but over time your love grows and grows. we've been married for almost 6 months and they have been the best 6 months of my life. living with my best friend is such a blessing and i know i always have him around.

i woke up to music playing, my favorite waffles and fresh juice all made by my husband. oh, and a special card written from him. it brightened my day and i must shamefully admit, he's beaten me with writing a card! i better get on it... along with making him a delicious dinner for tonight.

+ also, don't forget! i am giving 25% off sponsorship for the month of february - use code CELEBRATE at purchase. 

i realized it's this little blog's birthday this month! i can't believe it's been a year since i started this blog. it's been through too many changes and has evolved in different ways. i'm amazed with how much this blog has grown, and it's all because of my wonderful readers! so in honor of this little blog's birthday, i am giving 25% off all of my ad spots! (meaning, it's gonna be super cheap guys...)


all you have to do is purchase an ad size below and enter the promo code: CELEBRATE >>  

it's been such a stressful week, everything leading to thursday- the most stressful day - but i survived! how did i treat myself? oh, you know, just some delicious blueberry (gluten free) scones! made with real blueberries,  just thought i'd point that out...



this weekend we're heading down to utah. kevin is going snowmobiling on saturday (!!!) and i will be visiting my friends. i'm crossing my fingers we don't get stuck down there since they are expecting more snow. i kinda wish we were staying home this weekend because we still haven't made our coffee table and i am oh so excited to make it (the metal legs just arrived from the UPS guy today!) but it will have to wait until next weekend. 

it's finally february! thank goodness. in the words of a classmate the other day- january is like the monday of the year. took me a minute to figure it out, and the class, but then we all laughed. it's so true!

luckily january flew by and it's the month of love. now i have a husband to share valentines day with (makes valentines day a little more exciting!) i'm not sure if we'll do gifts for each other this year. what i do know is that i am putting in extra effort to make sure he feels loved every day through the little things. what better way to celebrate the month of love?  

a few weeks back, i had all of you post your questions on what you want to know about photography. thank you so much for your responses! i've done my best to answer your questions. since there were so many, i will have a few featured posts, divided into separate sections so it is easily navigated! you're welcome, and enjoy! (if you have further questions, feel free to comment)


What would you say are the most common mistakes that beginners make (technically, artistically, generally, whatever!)? Do you have any tips for beginners looking to improve?

I definitely made mistakes when i started into photography. It's all part of learning and growing! But some suggestions I have for beginners is first, to always find the best light. Lighting makes or breaks a photo. When shooting portraits, make sure there is light in your subjects eyes. Try to avoid harsh sunlight (look for open shade under a tree, building, etc). One way I test how the shadows will look is to hold my hand out like a barbie and look at how the light sets on it as you move it back and forth. 

Artistically, definitely get creative! I was once taught to try out different angles (and I don't mean tilting your cameras) and use your resources. If there is a tree you could climb, do it! If you don't mind getting lower to the ground, why not? 

Technically, be aware of your surroundings when shooting portraits. If something is in the background that is distracting, then switch your angle to get ride of it. I always try to "crop" in camera so that I don't have to worry about using Photoshop to edit out my mistakes. 

Generally, find your niche, your style, YOU and once you do, stick with it. Keeping consistency is key and that is how you will build fans who love your work because of YOU and your style. It may take some time, but be patient. It will come naturally. 



I would recommend the 80mm f/1.4 lens. It's my second option lens for portraits. You can read more about this lens here.

 More photo tips and tricks after the jump!