Happiness and Self-Esteem

“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.”

One of my friends sent me a picture with the above quote on it today and it spoke to me on so many different levels. This post is not going to be about beauty or fashion or any of the other topics I typically talk and write about. This is going to be on the importance of happiness and self worth. 

“No amount of makeup can mask an ugly heart.”-Kevyn Aucoin 

I am about to be 27 and I feel the happiest I have ever been and I can certainly tell you that it took work. This isn’t something that happened overnight but here are some tips I can offer to anyone who is looking to increase his or her own happiness and self-esteem.

Let It Go: Don’t ruin a new day by dwelling on a bad yesterday. This is the easiest way to ruin your day and self-esteem. Allow yourself an appropriate amount of time to “dwell” on something and then move on. When I am dwelling on something I tell myself to “stop” and I move on. I am done waisting my time and energy thinking about whatever it is that is not adding to my happiness or success. Once I tell myself to stop, I am literally done thinking about the topic. This certainly took time and practice for me to get use to but it is one of the best things I could have ever done for myself.  

“Sometimes you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who your are and where you want to be.”

Surround Yourself With Happy And Motivated People: The first step to getting what you want is having the courage to get ride of what you don’t. You can’t expect to be happy if you are constantly surrounding yourself with people who are miserable. Surround yourself with people who you look up to and motivate you. Negative people will suck you dry.  

“Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.”

One Day At A Time: Everyone is at different places in their life. Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Work on your goals and ambitions one day at a time.    

Find Your Outlet: It’s unhealthy to keep things bottled up so you need a healthy way to let your emotions out. For me, it is working out. I find that when I am stressed, I am really into my Zumba or weightlifting class. After I have completed the session, I feel so much lighter. For some people dancing could be their outlet or art. Find out what your outlet is and make time for it in your schedule.

Daily Affirmations: I am a true believer that everyone is responsible for his/her own happiness. It is just as much a conscious decision to be happy as it is to be sad or angry. You should not rely on anyone else to make you happy with yourself. It simply isn’t healthy. Everyday you should take a few minutes to affirm that you are smart, you are powerful, you are strong, you are gorgeous, and you are talented. Love yourself.

Build Others Up: The people who are always building others up and giving compliments are some of the happiest people I have ever known. On the other hand, people who are constantly tearing others down and belittling people are some of the most insecure and unhappy people out there. If someone is ever rude to me I remind myself that it is not a “me issue”. I think we all see this everyday; the person that is unhappy with themselves, home life, career, etc. take their frustrations out on others. Don’t allow someone else’s unhappiness impact your happiness.   

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Talk To Yourself Like You Would To Someone You Love: We are our own worst critics. Be gentle on yourself. No one is perfect. Being perfect would be awfully boring.   

Well, there you have it. These are some of my tips to staying happy and confident. Have a wonderful day and remember to take everything one step at a time. 

A New Facebook Page

Hi, everyone! I finally created a Facebook page. Click HERE to "like" my page so you can stay up-to-date with my most recent posts. Don't worry, I will still be posting here just not as frequently as I will be posting on my Facebook page. I hope you enjoy the new Facebook page and the content that is being uploaded. Thank you all for your support over the past few years!

DIY Gallery Wall

   
     I finally have my own office which means it's time to decorate! Let's admit it, we are all obsessed with Pinterest and I have been pinning non-stop since we bought our house. Lately I have been pinning a lot of gallery wall posts so I finally decided to make one. Artwork aside, I think this was a pretty inexpensive project.

     To start, I bought all my picture frames at Walmart for a couple bucks each. I found a layout on Pinterest that I was trying to recreate so I already had an idea of the sizes and amount of frames that I would need. I'd recommend holding onto your receipt though just in case you need to return or exchange any frames.
     While I was there, I also picked up three cans of spray paint. Out of those I only ended up using two. One was a metallic gold, the other a bright gold and the third was a glitter spray. After I started spray painting I decided to pass on the glitter paint. I chose to spray paint my frames because it was less expensive than buying gold frames. A little elbow grease never killed anyone! While I had the frames laid  out I put a post-it note one each frame saying what color I wanted it painted. After I did that, I took a picture so I could remember which frame went where after it was painted.
     Fun fact, I actually bought all the frames before I had the artwork for them. I had two greeting cards that I picked up from Francesca's that I really liked and decided to see if that card company offered any additional pieces of art. Thankfully, that company did and I bought a ton of pieces from them. All my art is from Papaya and it is so awesome! If you are in to hippyish/eclectic pieces, you need to check them out! They have a ton of great stuff.
     Once the frames were dry, I cut the pictures to fit and popped them on the wall. I used painters tape and a level to hang these. As far as mounting them to the wall, I used Command brand picture and frame hanging strips. I've used these in the past and love them because they do not destroy my walls. Overall, this project took me about three days to complete. You can certainly do it in two if you are motivated. Waiting for the frames to dry was definitely the worst part. I probably spent about $70 on frames and paint but you could certainly pick some frames up at a thrift store for dirt cheap. All-in-all, I'm very happy with the outcome and am excited to finish decorating my office. Keep checking back for more easy DIY projects.

xoxo
Steph

Current YouTuber Obsessions

     I've recently started to have more time available to catch up on watching YouTube videos. Since my time is more limited, I am pretty particular about the videos that I choose to watch. Below are my current top 5 favorite YouTube channels. These are in no particular order. I'd highly recommend checking all of these awesome chicks out! I figured I'd share what I have been enjoying recently and you can leave me a comment letting me know what channels you have been enjoying. Let's jump in!

1) Nikki Blackketter- Nikki is a YouTube fitness guru. Besides the fact that she is sexy as hell, she really gets me motivated to workout! Her abs are to die for! She's real and shows the struggle but makes it fun to watch. What else could you ask for?

2) Claire Marshall- Claire is a beauty and lifestyle blogger and there are no words to describe how awesome she is. She puts an incredible amount of time and thought into her videos and it shows. She also has some pretty bad ass tattoos! She makes me want to get a sleeve! If you have an appreciation for video editing, I highly recommend checking her out. Some of my favorite videos of hers are Mary, Claire's Closet- The Leather Jacket, Favorite Nails Inc. Polishes, and Favorite MAC Lipsticks- Va Va Voom.

3) Leighannsays- She is kind of a train wreck but in the best possible way. She is probably the YouTuber that reminds me the most of myself. Really odd, kind of random, and struggling to adult. She is incredibly hard working and quirky and you can't help but love her. She recently created a vlog channel, LeighAnnVlogs, in addition to her beauty and fashion channel. She introduced me to Serial and I am forever grateful.

4) Jaclyn Hill- If you are looking for a hella talented makeup artist then look no further! This girl has some amazing skills when it comes to makeup artistry. She is another prime example of a truly talented and hardworking YouTuber. She has partnered with some great brands over the years and released some incredible products. Her most recent venture has been with Becca. Together they created a highlighter called Champagne Pop that the entire beauty community is losing their minds over including me.

5) Grav3yardgirl- Bunny is such a great role model in my opinion. Her channel is pretty hard to categorize because she covers such a wide range of topics but she certainly caters it to a younger audience. She makes me laugh and is always so positive so whenever I see one of her videos in my subscription feed I just have to hit play.

Remember to leave me a comment down below with the names of the channels that you have been loving lately. I love finding new YouTubers to watch.

XOXO

Steph

I Bought A House!

BEFORE

     Well we bought a house. This has been so time consuming but so rewarding! I have been filming and photographing our journey with full intentions of making a video about the process. I don't feel like our house is ready just yet but it is getting there. Quite honestly, I don't think I'll ever think it is totally complete but I guess that is normal.

     Once we closed, our first priority was paint. We painted the whole house with the help of our friends and family. Not only did we paint the walls but we also painted the ceilings, doors and molding. It was painting overload. Let me tell you what, paint makes a big difference but it is also outlandishly expensive! We did luck out with available rebates and sales but still...hundreds of dollars on paint and painting supplies. I have also discovered that painting is my least favorite thing in the world. Maybe not the least but it is right up there with washing makeup brushes!

AFTER!!!

     I have also discovered that I have a love for power tools! Buying a house is really just an excuse to buy a half dozen saws...and a SUV...and/or truck. Ah I want so many things! The fist power tool that I picked up was a DeWalt sander. I was and still am in LOVE and am always looking for an excuse to use it. The prior owners loved chair rails and drywall anchors so I definitely got my use out of it. I'm actually quite surprised that I didn't burnout the motor.
     I'm very proud of all the work we have done so far. For first time buyers I think we're doing a pretty good job. Now that the most important rooms in the house have been completed, I can finally get some real work done in my office. I will finally have a space that I can create content in which is very exciting! This space will now give me the room I need to create more consistent content. We're coming into my favorite season so get ready for all the blog posts and YouTube videos! Thank you all so much for your ongoing support! It truly means the world to me!

XOXO,
     Steph

Book Review | "Yes Please"

One of my goals for 2015 is to read more books. I know that listening to a book isn't technically the same as reading it, but whatever! I have a half hour drive to work and I thought that listening to something other than junk radio on the way in would be a better use of time. I have listened to several books recently and "Yes Please" remains my favorite. 

When I downloaded this book I honestly didn't know what to expect. The books that I typically go for are nonfiction crime or psychological works, but something drew me to this. Before I read this, I was not an Amy Poehler fan. I didn't dislike her, I just never really payed much attention to her. After listening to this, I can say that she is one of my biggest female role models. I was under the assumption that this was suppose to be a memoir, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was much more. She tells bits and pieces of her life and sprinkles in a whole lot of advise. She's realistic about life and the demons that everyone has in their mind. She speaks to the reader in such a loving and motherly way that it's unreal. Parts of this book made me laugh and others made me cry. She spends just enough time on each topic so that it is not depressing or overly goofy. I am truly sad every time I finish this book. 

I wanted to write a very short review on this book today because it is International Women's Day. She builds up other women rather than tearing them down. She is an inspiration. As I started the book I was very uncertain that I would enjoy it. After I finished the book, I felt like I hadn't gotten my fill yet and listened to it a second time. Two of my favorite quotes from her are, "Yes, please." and "Good for you. Not for me." 

In the audio version, she has several guests read various parts of the book. Two of these special guests were her mother and father. It is mind-blowing to see how down-to-earth she remains after all the years of fame. I highly recommend this book. It's a great read for women of all ages. She is empowering and everything I hope to be. If you don't believe me when I say she's awesome, google, "Amy Poehler SNL rap."

If you've read or listened to this book, leave a comment down below letting me know what your thoughts are on this. I look forward to reading them. Happy International Women's Day!

XOXO,

Steph