Ultra Music Festival, Spring Craft Fest, C O A C H E L L A!!! Yes it’s festival season! So with festival season approaching, Spring a springin’, and new fashion trends, I thought today I’d share with you my favorite festival fashion and accessories!
But is it really a festival if you aren’t draped in floral chiffon? Maxis are all the rage and this one is dreamy, flowy, and allows for a breeze to make it’s way through all of that dessert dancing you’ll be doing!
Trendy and purposeful, a wide brimmed hat and some cute sunnies will keep the sun out of your eyes and off your face. #teamnosquinting Pro tip: don’t forget to charge your camera batteries and bring extra SD cards if you’re toting it along for the duration of the festivities. I’ve lost many a great memories due to dead batteries lol
Ahhh yes, and the shoes. Saved the best for last with these Billy Ella celestial booties! I mean, how stellar are they, just look at em! Granted, a great pair of comfortable shoes are essential for any festival trekking- but oh HEY THERE magical constellations … on my feet!
Every boot, pump, and wedge deserves to be given a chance with some good insoles, so pick you up a pair and go ahead- dance for hours baby!
I hope this inspires you to run out and grab the first tasseled-trinket, fringed n’ frolicked look and then buy yourself some festival tickets!
What are your current favorite festival fashion pieces?!
YES GIRL, all three of them! I mean, who says you can only have one dress on your special day?! Okay yes, I did actually, buuut I hadn’t seen the other two to KNOW that I NEEDED them! lol
So there will be three dresses happening, but only because of the rehearsal at the chapel (you HAVE to wear a dress for this yes?) and then the 4th of July tiki-themed backyard after party. Whoa, that’ll be my new hashtag ha #4thofJulytikithemedbackyardafterparty 😀
My wedding dress I won’t reveal here just because, surprises, but the other two I’m sharing because it’s so fun to share the process of it all (and Joe’s seen these two). I’ve just been so overwhelmingly excited for all of this! I also did so much trying on of the dresses and online shopping where 183 dresses were sent to me! Really only 1 or 2 make the cut but I learned so much along the way. So for the backyard after party I went with this beautiful blush tulle Vera Wang dress, it looks taupe in photographs but the details of the dress are so delicate and it’s not heavy and doesn’t tug or pull. Since we’re having a mid summer wedding in MARYLAND (hello humidity!), I knew I wanted something light and that I could move and dance in, but still feel like a bride in. Oh I WILL be stretching out this entire day until midnight 😉
If this location looks familiar it’s because it is. When Corriney and I decided to have our picnic date I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to photograph this beauty outside since that’s where it’ll dance the night away anyway. I really love that it’s flowy in the wind but didn’t blow up over my bum (that’d be a disaster on my wedding day when alcohol is involved), and the sweetheart neckline is concealing enough for my busty self and has just the right amount of femininity and subtlety.
It’s midi length and didn’t require any alterations hallelu! You can find this dress at David’s Bridal and lucky for you, it’s on sale right now, gogogo – lots of deals happening right now! #thankyouweddingseason The blush pink earrings you can create at Kendra Scott, and the stunning sash is from BHLDN (also where I got THE dress yeee!)
For the rehearsal I wanted to feel classy and sexy, like “oh la la, look at me I’m a bride to be”! So I went with this Parker dress that has the most beautifully flattering neckline. It’s beaded, knee length, dainty, and SPARKLY! Just a sneak peek of it but I promise to spam everyone with photos of it once I wear it!
Of course I’ve saved shoes for last, they’re a big deal I get it! One thing I almost overlooked and I’m sure a lot of brides do also, is how LONG we’ll be wearing them! Most fancy shoes aren’t created for comfort, I mean no pump will ever be as comfortable as a flip flop- but I’ve found a solution! After a ton of googling “most comfortable shoes on your wedding day”, I came across these insoles from Vivian Lou. They’re designed by a podiatrist and engineered by a ROCKET SCIENTIST . . . like wuuut.
They shift your weight allowing for a more “equal distribution of weight between the forefoot and heel”. It’s science people, I don’t know. And they also prevent your foot from slipping forward, so like why don’t I have these in every single pair of shoes that I own! These will be in my wedding shoes, my dancing shoes, and any shoe that was created for a more narrow foot and not these coconut-tree-climbing feet I have.
Splurging on a rockin’ pair of heels for your wedding day is pretty epic, but I think comfort far outweighs any bling that catches my eye. Only thing I have to find now is some kind of slip or undergarment that will allow me to dance the day/night away without sweating like a sailor.
I found some pretty incredible deals while searching high and low for all the perfect wedding day details, so just remember to be patient, do your research, and never be afraid to DIY the hell outta everything. Except your veil, if you’re like me than you absolutely, definitely do not want to DIY that.
Ah yes, my beautiful Corriney who was also photographer/ set designer/ flower child/ and fellow lover of loafs on this day! After photos we had a nice lil picnic together and hiked back to the car full of bread, cheese, jams, and watermelon. If you missed my post on things to do with the fam bam including this picnic, you can peep it here <3
I hope you enjoyed this article and are loving this #JessBrideGuide series! I’m having so much fun sharing all of the things I’m going through along the way leading up to our I do’s with you <3
Have you ever used insoles like the ones I’ve featured here? Did you have more than one dress on your wedding day? Am I turning into a bridezilla?! #dontanswerthat
I had a really nostalgic moment today, I was remembering that as a kid, each weekend my family and I would drive over to the local Blockbuster to hand-pick movies for the weekend. If you’re lucky enough to remember those good ol’ days than this will spark some fun memories, and if you were born after Blockbuster and MC Hammer pants, than just imagine this: My sister, brother, and I would walk up and down the aisles reading the synopsis on the backs of each VHS (yes VHS days) or DVD, beg our parents for popcorn and candy, and then we’d decide which movies we’d rent . . . as a family. I mean, it DID depend on if it were a $2.99 or $4.99 rental and IF you could have it for two days or FOUR, but it really was just some good ol’ clean family bonding times. Gahhh can we bring back some of that!
I thought today I’d share with you my favorite things to do with my Corriney and Joe, not to mention they’re practically free! So here are my top 10 free (almost) things to do with the family!
PAINT NIGHT – places like Color Me Mine can be a bit pricey especially if you have more than 1 child, so why not head over to Michael’s (or the DOLLAR STORE woot!) pick up some paints and craft paper and boom, paint night at home! Ahem for you parents out there, this is also a wonderful time to bust out a bottle of wine and crank up some paint night tunes!
PICNIC – best thing is eating your favorite food, outside, on a blanket, listening to the birds chirp. Picnics are easy I promise! For this particular day we went to Trader Joe’s and spent under $10 for a baguette and cheese, threw some fruit and drinks into our picnic basket and enjoyed our fancy shmancy picnic outside. Pro tip: when you’ve forgotten to pack cutlery just simply eat with your hands! Also, watermelon eaten with your hands will get sticky. Also also, farmers markets make for the best treats and have home made PIE (featured below is caramel pecan for your viewing pleasure)!
HIKE – get out and get movin’! Pointing things out in nature, identifying plants and animals while you’re with the kiddos, and then picnicking at the end of it . . . leads straight into my next favorite thing!
HIKE ANNND PICNIC – okay okay this is me cheating by combining my two faves but for realizies! If you hike to the top of that mountain or stroll to the other side of that park and then add in a PICNIC, it’s the best thing ever! Go ahead, enjoy that refreshing sticky watermelon with your hands!
BOARD GAMES – you guys my family and I used to play Dungeons And Dragons, like the board game version! Oh yes, we were supes popular in school LOL I legit think a wonderful team building activity is a board game or arts and crafts. You learn how to NOT be a sore loser *me* and how to appreciate a night in with board games and crafting. And remember when crafting, “God don’t make no junk”- 100 points to whomever can guess where that’s from! LOL
MUSEUMS – or art exhibits even! These are fun, free (mostly), AND you’ll all learn something along the way. Fun fact, I got really into the stars and constellations as a child and even wanted to be an astronaut. Visiting museums absolutely contributed to that dream! Can you tell from this list so far that I’m a HUGE nerd?! I love nerds <3
COOK TOGETHER – how fun to teach the kids (and your significant other) how to cook! The stirring, the spices, the creativity of it all, it’s one of my favorite things to do even when we do nothing but make mac n cheese together while noshing on snacks in the kitchen. It’s fun to ‘Pinterest pluck’ and just make a recipe you wouldn’t usually make, get cookin!
MOVIE NIGHT – reminiscent of Blockbuster night, movie night is the best way to snuggle up with your babes and make popcorn the old fashioned way! Toss all of the pillows and blankets onto the floor and just have one big ol’ slumber party – onesies highly encouraged!
TALENT SHOW – how fun right? Lets put on a talent show for one another! Sing, dance, put on a play, it’s just so fun to be silly and encouraging. Also, this is how those blooper reels from America’s Got Talent are created so lets also be real with one another mkayyy! 😉
GO FOR A DRIVE – alright, so this is gonna sound super cheesy but one of my favorite things in life ever, is to just pack up the car, my family, and puppy Luna and drive. Drive to another city, explore another town, anything, but ya gotta do it! The open road is full of new adventures … and new places to eat teehee 😀
I hope you enjoyed this list of fun and almost free things to do with your loved ones, you could even refer to this for fun date night ideas!
Are there any other things that you love to do that we can add to this list? Share! <333
YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED!!! I’m getting married too yayyy ! So now what do we do?!
Get married they said, it’ll be fun they said. Except, they forgot to say that there’s a lot of planning and unneccessary details that go into your wedding. And it IS fun, but what’s up with all these RULES! Who made up things like, wedding favors, a wedding theme, oh and do you know the color of your linens?! OH OH and will you need chafing sets?! Ummm what? I just want to wear a pretty dress and say I do to my best friend in front of everyone we love.
So incase you too are going through all of the details of wedding planning, here’s a little bride guide from me to you, as I navigate through all of this with you. From sorting out the to-do list, to prioritizing the following umpteen things that must get done. So deep breaths my pretty, here we go!
1. Create a website or landing page for your guests – we’re using Weebly but there are a ton of other web hosting sites, we just love that this one is FREE! This is a great place to put who, what, when, where, and how to get there for all of your friends and family members. Include accommodations (if you block out rooms they’ll get a discounted rate), shuttle or bus information if there’s any, schedule of events, where you’re registered for gifts, and a deadline for their RSVP
2. Send out Save The Dates – this part doesn’t make any sense to me. You’re sending guests a Save The Date WITH your wedding date on it, but then they need a formal invitation also . . . the rules part. We sent out Paperless Post save the dates and on them we included our wedding website and asked our guests to RSVP that way. I purchased ‘coins’ and sent it out after importing all of my guest’s emails- made it so easy! There’s also Evite and other places that you can send online invitations through. If you choose to have them printed, Minted and Paper Divas are great I’ve heard and won’t cost your first born!
3. Location, Venue, Food – oh and the DJ, centerpieces, wedding gown and accessories, bouquet, and other big ticket items to sort out. Once you’ve chosen your venue and location, set a day and time and get to planning baby! Don’t forget to ask your venue if they provide tables, chairs, linens, and a set up/ break down crew. Food options, open bar, centerpiece arrangements, and cake cutting fees are also some things you’ll want to confirm with your venue. If you get a ‘day of wedding coordinator’ than they’ll make sure you’re standing where you should be when you should be *ie when you’re dancing with your girls, champs in hand and it’s cake cutting time*. Otherwise, do what we’re doing and have your DJ keep the timeline.
4. Pictures, flowers, and things that get lost in the shuffle – like ordering wedding favors, picking out a cake topper, and making sure you order 2 sets of garters (one for throwing and one for a keepsake). All of these things you’ll get to as you go down your list of To Do’s but some things that could help you stay within budget are to DIY some easy things, and to research the hell out of everything.
see if you can drop off vases and containers to your florist and just pay them to fill them with your floral arrangement choices. They’ll usually also credit you for this since they won’t need to use their own vessels
shop around for shoes, accessories, gifts, and your veil. I ordered my veil from Melinda Rose Design (who also specializes in headpieces!) and she’ll send you samples of the veils so you can color match with your wedding gown. Pretty brilliant and for a fraction of what A LOT of veils will cost you. I love the ‘try before you buy’ option that she offers
search sites like Luna Bazaar and Oriental Trading to order centerpieces, gift boxes, etc. They’re very reasonably priced and I guarantee whatever your shabby chic heart desires, they WILL have
delegate responsibilities to your bridal shower, see above photo 😀 (and here’s fun ways to ask your best girls to be a part of your big day). They’re there to help you and to make sure your most special day goes as smoothly and stress free as possible. No one wants to be around bridezilla! LOL So recruit the help where you can
if you’re planning your wedding in another city/ state/ country, it does help to create a mock table on your living room floor to get an idea of 1) how many people you want sitting at each table 2) how many pieces you’d like to have as your centerpiece 3) if you’re having favors and if you’ll place them at the table with your guests or not . . . Joe came home to see this (below photo) had taken over our living room and I was SERIOUS about picking out those damn centerpieces! haha
5. SET A BUDGET – okay okay this prolly should’ve been the #1 thing to do but honestly, we went over budget just in planning where we’re having our wedding so there’s that. Budgeting out your expenses does help to wrangle your ideas and keep priorities in order. If you go over on your dress than maybe order your shoes from DSW instead of Christian Louboutin 😉
At the end of the day, it’s going to be THE most special day and the love your life will be standing beside you, in the presence of everyone you love. None of those little details and stressors will matter, I promise. So just enjoy the magic of planning it all, take time to reassess what you want over what you need, and everything else is just decoration (thank you Pilar for that one!).
There are a ton of other tips and tricks I’d love to share with you but I’ll put them all together in another post, so stay tuned <3 I really hope these #JessBrideGuide posts and videos are helping you.
Have you used any of these resources already? Are there any other tips you have to share with us brides to be? Thank you in advance for the help!
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re a last minute gift giver . . . ahem it’s TODAY, than this DIY will not only save you time and money, but it’s also personalized and super unique! AKA it will cover up your last-minute-DAY OF-gift-giving tendencies LOL! All will be forgiven!
So whether you’re making it for your special one or with your ladies for Galentine’s Day festivities, it’s a lot of fun and super minimal. Don’t be afraid to get messy and make some mistakes, that’s where all the fun is at! All you’ll need is the polymer clay of your choice, an x-acto knife or mold, and gold paint. Before you begin, set the mood with this Valentine’s playlist I created just for you!
Directions:
1. Roll your polymer clay into a ball. I used beige because it resembled more of a light pink to me. Once you’ve rolled it into a ball, flatten it out with a rolling pin (can also be done with a cup or jar! )
2. Now that it’s flattened out, use your x-acto knife and/or mold to shape your clay. (For the circle, I used the rim of a candleholder) Don’t be afraid to get creative and make all kinds of wacky shapes!
3. Now that you have the shape you want, poke a hole in the middle of the clay with an incense stick, just enough so that it can wiggle around a bit.
4. It’s time to bake! Preset your oven to 275°F and let your creations bake for 15 minutes.
5. Once they are done baking, let them cool. When finished cooling, grab your gold paint and begin painting the sides and around the outer rim. Imperfections and uneven lines will make it look even more authentic and effortless, so have fun with it! You can also paint the entire thing gold or create a pattern on it. You’ll most likely have some extra clay sitting around, so you can make more to give to your friends and loved ones. ?
Altogether, the supplies for this tutorial cost me a grand total of $10 and I made almost a dozen holders! They’re the perfect gift for your bestie, room decor, or housewarming present and are super sweet!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and high five for saving the day <3
Now that we’re mid February and Valentine’s Day is inching nearer and nearer, aka TOMORROW, it’s time to get in the groove of being appreciative, generous and loving not to just those around us — but also to ourselves <3 I think we can all agree that self love is among the best types of love out there, and is something that just isn’t promoted enough to young women.
When I’m feeling down and out, I’ll throw on the dreamiest tunes I can think of and groove the blues away, which is exactly what you can do with ‘From Me, To Me’. To start, I incorporated “Try” by Molly Burch because it creates this aura of ethereal weightlessness whenever I hear it. To add a bit of playfulness, “Lovely One” by Ty Segall follows with it’s rugged, garage rock sound that’s bound to get you movin and groovin. Up next is “Teenage Girl” by Cherry Glazerr which cleverly confronts the frustrations of societal standards with the lyric, “internalize so much but so little, don’t make us feel belittled, World,” which is a feeling we definitely have all experienced at one point or another.
I feel like no playlist is ever complete without a little Angel Olsen sprinkled in, because her music is powerful and emotional, and it’s easy to be introspective while listening to her. You’ll hear her serenade you with “You Are Song” which will definitely get you feeling some type of way. To finish, “Everything is You” by Empress Of is a dancy uptempo tune from her album “Me” which sums up the theme of this playlist perfectly.
So as you listen, think of each song as a little gift. Something to dedicate to yourself in the process of your journey to radical self-love. CLICK HERE to give From Me, To Me a listen. If you’d like to create a fun Valentine’s Day DIY click over to this post for some personalized and super unique incense holders!
Here is the tracklist:
1. Try by Molly Burch
2. Lovely One by Ty Segall
3. Teenage Girl by Cherry Glazerr
4. Cosmic Dancer by T. Rex
5. You Are Song by Angel Olsen
6. Lovelier Girl by Beach House
7. She’s So Bad by TOPS
8. You Are The Right One by Sports
9. Theme for a Taiwanese Woman in Lime Green by Devendra Banhart
I’m so excited to share that you can finally shop my posts directly and see what products I’m currently using in my featured videos! You’ve perhaps seen this utilized by other creators on Instagram and Facebook, so if you aren’t on DubCandy already, download it (it’s free!) and add me! I’m jess_lizama over there just like on all of my other platforms. I’m sharing my most recent videos over there!
This week I have for you a Valentine’s day cocktail (Cupid’s Kiss to be exact), a ‘day to night out’ makeup look, and the worlds quickest and easiest flat-iron ‘beachy waves’ tutorial!
If you’ve already explored the app and shopped people’s posts and videos, please share them with me so I can see what everyone is most interested in these days! I’d love to know if you’d like to see more beauty stuff from me, or cooking and travel . . . let me know and I’ll recruit my Corriney to help me post more frequently on there! I love being able to link you to the things I’ve tried and tested, and I hope you enjoy these and it makes it easier for you to peruse the items I feature:D
Do you like posts where you can shop the products featured or do you feel distracted by the option?
FTC: I am an affiliate with DubCandy but the products I feature and the opinions expressed here are mine. As always I’ll continue to share with you the things I truly use and love, and always in my honest opinion.
Six months and counting babes! I have just under six months to prepare for our wedding in July, plan a honeymoon, AND gear up for the 4 other weddings also happening this year. Talk about a whirl wind next few months full of travel and partying!
So to keep myself in check, balance out stress, and get shredded for our wedding, I’m participating in my gym’s 28 day challenge! For the next month I’ll be fully immersing myself in meal prepping and HIIT workouts and I want to share with you our week one! I’d like for this to become a lifestyle and not just a quick fix 28 day trial, but a real thing! So do it with me OR you can hold me accountable for when the snack monster gets the best of me at midnight 😀
Here is your week one and how to prep for the next seven days. You can either take it in bite sized amounts of time like I do, or prep for the full week, whichever coordinates with your lifestyle best.
On Sunday:
I say Sunday because Mondays are usually really busy for me. I like to only prep meals for 1-3 days in advance, partially because I get bored easily and because after 3 days in the fridge/freezer I get grossed out.
So on whichever day you plan on taking an hour or two to prep, separate into freezer bags (or tupperware) your smoothie ingredients, salad mix, and grab-n-go snacks. My go to snacks are fruit with almond butter, trail mix, or veggies with hummus. In a bowl mix together ground chicken or turkey for meatballs, great for wraps, salads, and sammies. They’ll cook quickly in the oven! On a baking sheet I arranged my fish with a variety of vegetables so it was a one stop ‘set it and forget it’ and cooked at the same time the meatballs did.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Monday through Wednesday is a variation of protein shakes, grab-n-go snacks, salads, and wraps. Protein, coconut/almond milk, spinach, and pineapple slices make up my favorite post workout smoothie. If you top it with chia seeds or coconut flakes it’s like ice cream! I mean, it DOES help if you pour it into a milkshake cup like I did 😀 Olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice make THE perfect salad dressing IMO, and hummus or tzatziki sauce are a wonderful addition to any wrap or snack. I’m all about those additions!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT PREP:
For Thursday through Sunday you can vary your meals if you get bored by adding in a chicken or tuna salad wrap. TIP: lemon juice and tzatziki sauce taste better than mayo 😀 I get really bored really easily and the thought of bland dry chicken with bland dry brocolli sounds BLAND and DRY. Luckily, our LBD meal plan is neither. So portion out your smoothies and salads, prep your overnight oats or protein pancake mix, and get cookin’ good lookin’!
In the oven will go your frittatas, kale chippies, and whatever fish or protein you choose. I’ve been leaning towards salmon and red snapper this week. Hard boil some eggs, make more trail mix or go-to snacks if you need to, and whip together some yummy dinners! I made a ground chicken chili with black beans, vegetable stock, veggies, and cumin.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Tadaaa! That’s your week one at a glance! Though I didn’t take a photo of everything … like Sunday’s cheat meal – pizza and champagne. Yaaaas do itttt!!! No regrets, just don’t let your cheat meal turn into a cheat month *raises hand*.
I hope this inspires you to get familiar with meal preparation, it really does take the guess work out of it and when the snack monster attacks . . . you’ll be ready!
Do you meal prep now? Are you a daily or a one-time a week kind of cook? Share some recipes with me and good luck, we totally got this!
Happy 2017!!! Can you believe it, already January 2nd! Ummm chill out there new year I need more time! More time to make time, make plans, and to make time to stick to the plan!
Every year I write out 3 goals and create a vision board to inspire me, I’m big on tangible things that I can look at daily. I need daily reminders of what the big picture is because I get stuck in my head sometimes on the temporary. Today I’ll share with you my 5 ways to keep your resolutions and what mine are for the year.
1. Write it down – on a piece of paper. I probably have a thousand notes on my phone and a gazillion text edits on my computer all labeled in various ways TO DO. There’s something about physically writing your thoughts down on paper and being able to cross things off your list that is way more satisfying then deleting a note on your phone. 2. Get organized – planners are a great way to take the list of your goals and your daily to do’s and manage them day by day to get you to those big goals. I really like writing little notes to myself in my planner that keeps me on track like, “today is wine night, drink up buttercup!” LOL 3. Keep it simple – and keep it realistic. Yes go for those big goals and dream bigger, just adjust your daily list to things you can accomplish without overwhelming yourself or setting yourself back. 4. Stay focused – set backs are normal, just stay focused on the plan which are your daily to do’s. That’s why having a schedule is so important. When you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed or you have days where you aren’t motivated, you can look at your day and those bite sized tasks will equal up to the big picture. 5. Slow and steady wins the race – day by day baby! Daily accomplishments set into motion your goal so take your year one day at a time. Be present in everything you do and remember that slow and steady wins the race <3
My goals for this year are to focus on being consistent in both blogging and my channel, get wedding ready, and to find more time to unwind from they day.
As a blogger and YouTube creator, I’ve constantly struggled with being consistent and sticking to a schedule. Creating on two different platforms is taxing on my creativity because I’m crafting for two different audiences. I hit walls all the time and for me, sticking to a schedule and writing out my daily plan really helps. It helps me not to work on my brand from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, not being able to clock out ever is dangerous IMO.
That’s why having a routine of rest is just as important as having a routing of work. I’ll be balancing work, working-out, and time-outs for myself every day this year. Wish me luck!
Just keep swimming 😉
What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2017? Do you have any tips on sticking to the plan?
