the lovely March sponsors

Hello, all. :) Can you believe it's March 19th already? This month has flown by!

I wanted to take a day to introduce you to my lovely sponsors this month. They are awesome, and you should totally check them out. Seriously. :)

 

First up is Valorie Clark Photography. VCP is almost strictly natural light art, specializing in weddings and portraits, with a little destination photography on the side to keep life spicy. If you're fun and sassy (as I know most of you are), don't you deserve a fun and sassy photographer to capture your special day or event? Of course you do. You can check out the portfolio here, and get in touch here.

My name is Kaity, and I blog over at adventures of an American girl.  I'm just an average college student battling Alabama's crazy weather and massive piles of homework.  I started blogging last May as I was preparing for a summer spent studying in the south of France; I was originally just writing to keep track of my adventures abroad, but I have since follow in love with this wonderful bloggy-verse and my focus has expanded to include all sorts of randomness.  I love to cook and to write and to take pictures - and of course I love to share about all of the above! 

blog  |  twitter  |  shop

Joy Juice helps sponsor my life in more than one way - it keeps me from going a little stir crazy! I'm a little over halfway through the 120 prompts and I love it. Joy Juice is for the ladies out their who think their life is fine. Their job is fine. School is fine. Relationships are fine. Maybe dreams are on the back burner to "reality" but basically, everything is fine. But they aren't happy. I invested in Joy Juice because I realized I deserved to be happy, and so do you.

Go check out all the sponsors guys. They're awesome! For real. 

Oh, you're considering sponsoring my lovely life? Ah, I love you! Check out the deets here.

conversations with my manfriend

I always feel weird saying 'boyfriend,' since at almost 22 he's for sure older than a boy, but 'manfriend' sounds weird too, doesn't it? I guess there's just no winning, is there? dramatic sigh. 

Anyway, if there was ever any doubt that I have issues, that doubt should be gone after you read this conversation with him:




Me: I'm tired. Will you carry me?

Him: What? No. We're walking upstairs, I'll fall.

Me: I meant carry me everywhere.

Him: Absolutely not.

Me: Why not?!

Him: You have legs. Use them.

Me: What if I cut off my legs? Then will you carry me?

Him: I might carry you to an emergency room. Wait -- you're going to cut off your legs so I'll carry you?

Me: Well, if you'll carry me everywhere.

Him: Any paraplegic would slap you right now.

Me: Probably. Are you saying you wouldn't carry me everywhere?

Him: That's exactly what I'm saying.

Me: Rude.

Him: You're probably going to hell.


He's probably right. Anyway. Boyfriend, thank you for putting up with my nonsense. And sorry not sorry for posting this online.

 {Photo taken my above mentioned boy. There, now you have a recent photo of me.}

I'm going to start doing a weekly recap here. (I know, I know, I said I'd do something similar like this once before, but this is for real this time guys.)


Things You Missed Here:
my tastebuds say yes, but my pride says no - fix my coffee problems, guys. 
Tips to Win at Pinterest - Ironically (or maybe not) I'd love it if you pinned this. :)

Things I Did Elsewhere On the Internet:
Sydney +Eric: Engaged | Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX Photography - love this couple, they are absolutely PRECIOUS. Also, I did just a generally bad ass job playing around with the site design, and that deserves some love by itself.
Announcing Bluebonnet Mini Sessions! I am so excited that I'm getting to offer these this year. One session is already gone, so there's only six left. If you want one, jump on it quickly!
If you see me drinking a bud light lime... - Awesome things I pinned.

Things You Missed In My Shop:
Print: Bluebonnets at sunset - in case you fall in love with the advertisement for my bluebonnet mini sessions too much. ;)

Things I Didn't Come Up With, But Love:
Paper'd App - Professionally designed wallpapers for your iPhone was released on Monday and featured on the iTunes store by Thursday. #HappySexyPhoneDay
The Bloggess' Historic Ditch Walk. - Yup, that's Texas.
Everlane - Designer clothes for under $100. That's right!


I think that's all the things. Right? What are you guys up to this weekend?

tips to win at pinterest

{them + my extra words}

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but I hope the fact that I'm behind hasn't made this post less relevant. As the number of pinterest users skyrockets and the number of link referrals from pinterest have started outpacing the number from twitter (yes, really), I still think learning how to use pinterest well is a good idea - for fun and for business!

I started using pinterest almost as soon as it came out, and so the advice I have here is gleaned from months of experience. I'm not going to pretend its definitive, but I believe it to be good.

{via}

1. Have an original profile
This should apply to every one of your social media profiles. Everyone likes a drink and a walk on the beach. NOT everyone is obsessed with greyhounds dressed at Star Wars characters (but I am). Stand out. Say more than you're a student from Somewhere U or a mom of 4 - you're Somewhere U's student expert on how late is too late to study for an exam, or a mom of 4 and watercolor artwork enthusiast.

2. Double check what you're linking to
Once you've got your profile glammed, and you're following a few people (you can follow my boards here), you're ready to start pinning. Now, my biggest pet peeve about pinterest are pins that don't link to what they say they will. If you stumble across a pin for the BEST JUMBALAYA EVER, take a second to click through and make sure it actually links to that recipe. If it doesn't, don't repin it. And when you create your own pin, think about that; i.e. create that pin from within the blog post that recipe was published in, not from the blog's homepage. Otherwise you'll never find it again.

3. Be witty or sarcastic or funny. Just be SOMETHING.
Don't be every other pinner. Don't have boards titled "this is my dream home" or "this makes me hungry." That's what everyone's boards are titled. Be sassy or funny - my recipes board is titled "GET IN MY FACEHOLE" and my alcohol and dessert board is called "Cocktails & Dessert Porn" for instance. Your office will probably block those as being inappropriate, but that just means you're doing something right.

This also applies for the comments section - I don't do it every time, but it's good to put your own thoughts on the pin, especially if you have something funny/witty/sarcastic to say. Doing all this is how the board "Shit Girls Put on Pinterest" went viral.

4. Promote a lifestyle, not a few pictures. 
The most successful users pin more than pictures of things they like - their boards are integrated to promote a way of life. Taken together, their boards and their pins represent who they are, and you should aim to make your boards integrated the same way - some of what I've already said can help you with that.

5. When you want to get pinned.
We used to say getting pinned down was a bad thing, but now you might want to get pinned. As I mentioned, referral rates from pinterest have surpassed even twitter now, and your blog stats could be reflecting that. So how do you get pinned? The biggest thing you need is good looking photos. Good writing/useful advice is obviously important, but if you don't have good photos to accompany them, forget it. What are they going to pin after all? If you're doing a tutorial, post a before & after photo with the title of the tutorial in your post. This lets people know what that pin has to offer. If you're writing about something else, have a relevant stat made into a picture or a beautiful photo attached to that post (that make sense with the post) included. People like pretty things.

Say you're trying to promote your shop on pinterest -- try adding a pinterest-exclusive coupon code to the photos you pin. I'm actually trying this with my Etsy shop now - I'll let you know how it goes.

Most importantly, just be you. On all social media platforms, be yourself. No one can be you better than you can, and when you're trying to be someone else, everyone can tell. Let your real inspirations, your real style, and your real flair shine through.



Do you have any other tips or tricks to win at pinterest? Leave them in the comments - I know I'm interested!

my taste buds say yes, but my pride says no.

In an attempt to write every day like I told myself I would this month (hasn't happened once), I picked up some of that Starbucks instant coffee at Target. You know the one.

Guys, I have tried so hard to like this coffee. For real. Why? Because my favorite thing to drink when I'm writing is coffee (big surprise). And honestly, I've never once had a Starbucks drink I thought was bad (except a gingerbread latte, but I hate gingerbread so maybe I should have seen that one coming?). So when they released the Veranda blend via, I got so excited!

I know, I know, I could make real drip coffee like the champ we know I am, but these packets seemed so appealing and easy in the mornings when I am too tired for actual measurements.

But, after having tried making it several times, I'm tempted to just throw out what's left in the box and start getting used to making real coffee in the mornings. I've tried making it with the prescribed 8 ounces of water, with more, and with less. I've used creamer to try to amp up some flavor, I've tried using no creamer and just milk and sugar. I've tried drinking it just straight black blonde and that hasn't helped either.

No matter what I do, this comes out tasting waaaay bitter and really burnt.

The reason I'm telling you about this ultimate first world problem (I mean, really) is because I'm hoping one of you lovely people has figured out how to fix this problem and can share the love. That way, I don't have to give up drinking this for good (my taste buds say yes, but my pride says no).

If not, can you please tell me where in DC I can buy a Keurig (and then give me the money for it)? Great, thanks.

Fill in the _____ Friday - 3.9.2012

Yup, I'm filling in some blanks again today! Go link up with Lauren to fill in some blanks too. It's fun, I promise. Also, I'm so happy that today's blanks are house themed because I've been meaning to show you guys pictures of the new apartment we moved into a few weeks ago. :)

 

 

1.  My favorite room in my home is     the living room    because     it's a) where the living happens, and b) the most furnished and "settled in" part of our new apartment right now .

 (Clearly, I do all my work on the couch, despite having my own desk. Sorry, not sorry.)

2.   My current decor style is     minimalistic, with lots of pops of color  but I wish it were more     vintage-y; just a bit though. I really like how our living room and bedroom turned out, but the rest of the place still needs help .

3.  I wish I could redecorate    an extra room (that I don't have) to make into an office     room in my house to make it more    into a place where I can get some work done - VCP means I work from home a lot! .

4. My dream house absolutely has to have a    big kitchen, fireplace and a porch/deck - absolute non-negotiables if/when I buy a house .

5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is    a good bookshelf - the boy and I read a lot (I just finished Pride & Prejudice, and loved it - anyone else?) .

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is    having a living room so modern it looks uncomfortable - your hard couch does not encourage me to sit and stay a while .

7.   Lots of cozy blankets, books, and candles   is a little touch that makes my house feel like home. 

How are you guys spending your weekend? I have work tomorrow, but I'm not sure what's going on Sunday. Whatever you're doing, enjoy it! :)