I love that pictures freeze moments in time and allow you to relive them again and again. Pictures are a physical memory since we can’t always rely on our mind memories (mind memories…totally a thing) to recall a special occasion, or remember exactly what that moment looked like. I toted a Polaroid camera along with me for Linz’s bachelorette party in Vegas last month, and asked that everyone take photos of the weekend and then give the Polaroids to me for a gift we’d make for her. This is what I did with all the photos, a Polaroid photo frame! Thank you Pinterest!!!!!! When in DIY doubt, Pinterest out!!!
For this you’ll need:
a frame of your choice
sturdy string or wire
mini clothes pins or metal clips
your photos
scissors
hot glue gun and glue
measuring tape
Method:
You’ll remove the back cardboard and glass from the frame so that you’re just left with the frame body
line up your photos so that you know how many columns you’ll have and how many rows
use the tape measure to figure out where you’re laying down your string or wire so that your rows are evenly distributed
lay down a dollop of hot glue into the nook of the frame to hold the string in place on one side than line up the other side and do the same
allow the glue to dry and then hang your photos onto the string with the mini clips and walaaaa!
All of your memories in a cute lil DIY frame, handmade by you, with love…and a few burned fingers 😉 I hope you enjoyed this DIY post, I love doing home decor, especially at a level that my skills or lack there of are able to grasp! haha!
Let me know what other home decor/DIY things you’d like to see, and I hope your weekend is awesome!!!
I’ve partnered with Green Giant, Optimum Nutrition, vitafusion and L’il Critters as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Can you believe we’re already through January and walking firmly into the rest of the new decade?! We launched this year with goal sharing and our family’s resolutions for the year and I wanted to check in and see where we all are now that the first month of the 2020 is coming to a close <3
To recap: our family wants to eat more meals together, eat healthier, be more active, and take our vitamins! I’m happy to report that we’ve been staying on track *praise hands* I went to our local Walmart at the start of this month and picked up some things that have helped us to stay focused and support our wellness goals.
My top picks are the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein and Essential Amino Energy, the Green Giant Veggie Hash Browns, and vitafusion – with a shout out to the L’il Critters too! I hope you enter the Resolutions at Walmart Sweepstakes and do it with us. Here we gooo!
I mean, this Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein is Vanilla Ice Cream flavored, travel friendly (oh hai tumbler), perfect for in between meals, and it’s SO delicious that you can mix it with just water and go! This protein is so important with how often we’re working out and helps us meet our daily protein requirements. Win win.
Essential Amino Energy not only gives us energy and focus for those workouts, but also helps support muscle recovery … perfect for bootcamp heyyy. I love this Fruit Fusion flavor!
vitafusion Men and Women’s Gummy Vitamins have been such a yummy way for us to be nutritious and get our daily vitamins in. They are the #1 Gummy Vitamin Brand and the only gummy vitamin brand with “clinically proven absorption”. Sure, those are great facts but the fact that as adults we’re taking our vitamins daily … super win!
The L’il Critters Children’s Gummy Vitamins are a perfect way to get you little ones to take their vitamins. They’re fun, taste great, and are this cute lil gummy bear shaped! There’s no artificial sweeteners or flavors in them, and is the only gummy vitamin brand with “doctor tested proven nutrient absorption”. Again, win win!
*For Vitamins C & D3 in products that contain those nutrients **The ChefsBest Excellence Award is awarded to brands that surpass a quality standard established by independent professional chefs
Green Giant Veggie Hash Browns what I can say, these are crunchy and everything we love about has browns with one full serving of cauliflower in each serving. Corrine doesn’t even know that it’s an actual veggie hash brown, she just asks for them every day! Perfect as a breakfast side, grab and go snack, and free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives *where are those praise hands again* If you love these as much as we do, be sure to check out the other great Green Giant products at Walmart, like the Cauliflower Gnocchi!
I hope my go-to products that have helped keep us on track as a family so far this year also inspire you! You can shop all of these products at Walmart and enter the Resolutions at Walmart Sweepstakes!
Here’s all the Sweepstakes Information you’ll need:
Enter for a chance to win a gym membership for a year!
Entries valid from December 28th 2019 – February 24th, 2020
Limit one prize per person or household. Only one valid entry per person over the sweepstakes
As you saw from my last article, I visited the neighboring city of Torrance last month and I’m so happy to share my discoveries with you. Where we shopped, our explorations, local eats … all the things! We stayed at the Best Western Plus Avita Suites and they provide a complimentary breakfast buffet so we only had to find lunches and dinners … and saucy sips … oh and desserts 😉 There’s so many options and I got so many of your recommendations from Instagram, thank goodness discovertorrance.com exists which helped me narrow down all my choices! Pssst and thank YOU for your recs <3
So day one was all about settling into our suite and enjoying dinner at our hotel, so the next morning after we enjoyed the buffet we visited the Farmer’s Market for some lunch and local goods.
It was such a beautiful day in Torrance that it was easy to walk around for three hours before I decided I wanted a mid-day pick me up. We headed to the best boba in town… 7 leaves cafe
That would be my macarons and cafe over there chillin’ next to the Moana tree haha. Sooo good, please go there and get the Taro milk tea boba! The Depot was high on your recommendation list as it was on the discovertorrance.com site so that’s exactly what we did for dinner and let me tell ya… I’m a martini kinda lady and their martini’s cannot be matched! So perfectly paired with a filet and mashed potatoes dinner. Umm and that would be pistachio butter you see next to that fresh baked bread *drool*
P.S. that’s the Chef! Of course I asked to take a photo with him, it was one of the best meals evaaaar! And what better way to wrap up day one than a night cap?! We walked over to a neighboring hotel bar and enjoyed one more saucy sip… can you guess what I got? And of course- a bar pretzel is the best choice duh.
Perfection ah. With time in the books I was already fully enjoying my time in this city. Day two began the same as the previous morning but we switched up routine by having some Hawaiian lunch for the first time. I learned that Hawaiian food and Chamorro food (it me!) are very similar! Think spam and rice haha This was The Loft in Torrance and they did not disappoint.
Musubi and Hawaiian fried chicken for the win! Since I’m the type of person who plots my next food venture WHILE still having the current meal (ha!) I decided we’d go to Brio for dinner AND dessert and enjoy some home made donuts… they had me at donuts let’s be real.
We wrapped up the day by finishing our holiday shopping at Del Amo Fashion Center, which by the way is just a hop and a skip away from our hotel… winning! It was such a perk considering I shopped ’til I dropped.
Why yes, I did purchase this camo cropped pull-over *hail hands* I ended up completing all of my holiday shopping AND shopped for myself so… treat yo self. Day two was a smashing success and when I tell you I slept like a baby, trust.
Before leaving on our final day in Torrance, I ran one last time at our hotel gym, enjoyed a homemade waffle and took time with every bite, and just had to make one last stop before checking out of my staycation dream. Enter Strand Brewing for some FUNS!
Ending my staycation in Torrance could not have been any more fun than enjoying a flight of local beers, playing some games, and sports!
I had the best time and feel so lucky to have partnered with such a welcoming and hospitable community to showcase some of the best places in Torrance to eat, visit, explore, and shop <3 I hope you get a chance to visit our new home away from home and I’ll link you to all the places that helped make our stay so memorable and easy to navigate!
Have you added ‘more adventure’ to your New Year goals yet? Let’s do this!
It’s a new decade darlings, can you believe it?! Welcome to 2020… we’re in it and we’re also just coming off of a two week break where we didn’t know what day it was, what time it was, and if we were ever going to change out of footed pj’s. So now that we’re back into the full swing of things I want to share a few of my personal goals with you. I think it’s so wonderful when we can get real with each other and spark creativity in one another. I read a great quote the other day that had so many meanings to me, “one year closes so another can open”.
So good right? So one of my goals this year is to travel more, to hit reset on my mind and my heart when I need it, and to not feel guilty about it. Even if it’s just jumping in my car and visiting a neighboring city, I’ve got to do it in the name of adventure. I was inspired to take more time to explore my own city when Discover Torrance reached out to me for a staycation. ‘Ummm yes please’, is what I think I responded with.
The idea of a staycation always encourages me to relax without worrying about taking a flight out or being too far away from family and financial responsibilities. So I packed my bags and headed to the Best Western Plus Avita Suites in Torrance. Sweet Suites, it’s an award-winning-all-suite boutique hotel and was so close to everything I wanted to do during my stay I couldn’t wait to get there. So with my itinerary in hand I checked into my suite and found it very difficult to peel myself from the cozy bed to hit the town on our night one haha.
My next article will share in detail all of my recommendations for where to go, what to do, things to eat, best desserts to find, and local favorites in Torrance. Today I want to share my experience at this beautiful hotel and share that you can book with them here!
I wouldn’t usually describe lobbies as inviting and beautiful but let me tell you, this lobby was inviting, comfortable, and beautiful. I actually blurted out at the front desk, “how pretty is this?! I have to take some photos before I check in”.
It was bright and festive, the staff was so welcoming… and so was this cushy bed! Every room is a suite so they each have a seating area, office area, and kitchenette. Here’s a fun walk through…more like dance through of my room! Imagine Mariah Carey’s voice singing as I dance you about the suite.
Once I settled in and unpacked… P.S. am I the only one who get SO excited about hotels that I have to unpack all of my belongings before doing anything else? AKA I hang my clothes in the closet, utilize the robe, put my keys in the safe, and place all of my toiletries out ha! I’m saving the rest of my excitement to share all of the things we did, the foods we ate, the drinks we drank, the desserts we hunted, ALL the things that we took in during our time in Torrance.
For today you get to hear me dish all about these digs and the hospitality and generosity we were shown while on our staycation at the Best Western Plus Avita Suites in Torrance. Can we just talk about how much joy complimentary breakfasts bring us all? Haha talk about breakfast, this was a full blown buffet with options like home-made waffles, a yogurt and bagel station, fresh fruit, and every cereal and topping you can imagine.
I indulged and had a little bit of everything Cafe Avita had to offer, here’s a peek above. After all that yummy food I had to get some cardio in and build energy for the day’s events to eat our way through the town! It’s so nice when the place you’re staying at has a gym, it encourages you to stick with your goals, and it completely helps that they have weights and not just a standard treadmill…yayy options!
It was truly so relaxing to stay at this destination for two nights and made coming back after a fun filled day of adventures and foodie times just all the more spectacular. I do hope you get a chance to visit our home away from home, Torrance which is just a town over from us. The staff, the amenities, the views, the food, all of it … I’m so grateful to have been able to relax for a few days before heading back to reality of the grind and hustle.
This was just before the holidays and could not have come at a more necessary time. Please scroll back through and enjoy the images, I hope you loved my dancing walk through of our suite, and come back on Monday for my complete guide to Torrance <3
Staycations… you ever been on one? What is a destination close to home that you’ve been dreaming of visiting? I hope Los Angeles is on your list and I hope you check out Torrance and where I stayed while you’re here!
The famous fashion designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld once said that “trendy is the last stage before tacky.” Fashion trends come and go, with some being more ostentatious than others. While you may be tempted to follow suit–pun intended–there’s something about certain wardrobe staples that will never go out of style. Investing in classic, versatile wardrobe pieces means having timeless items that you will always find yourself going back to, like discussed in an updated post on ‘Redefining Wardrobe Basics With Corrine’.
Here are four versatile pieces you won’t need to replace:
Pumps with a Classic Silhouette
The perfect pair of pumps can add a level of sophistication to an outfit. Chunky heels, platforms, and strappy sandals have made their ascent and descent repeatedly, but classic silhouettes that feature closed toes and skinny heels are often the benchmark for elegance. Steve Madden’s Vala range comes in 23 different colors, from the sleek, stylish black patent to a pastel-colored snakeskin. You can choose a pair (or more) to complement your existing wardrobe.
Denim Jacket
Denim pieces exude the tenets of both form and function. The best part is, denim doesn’t just mean denim blue anymore. Woman Within offers a range of denim jackets that come in different colors and designs, such as lavender, navy with white dots, and pastel blue with a floral pattern. Choosing a fun, colorful denim jacket means being able to wear it as both a statement piece and as something functional.
Black Pants
Snug-fitting pants need not be uncomfortable as there are many options that are both comfortable and flattering for all body types. They can transition seamlessly from the office to a night out. They can also be dressed up or down with layers of necklaces or a vintage graphic tee, respectively. Mango has several options for versatile black pants that will look good on every body type, and help you accentuate the parts you want to highlight–whether that be lengthening your legs or contouring your hips.
White T-Shirt
Similar to black pants, white t-shirts can be dressed up and down as one of the most basic items of clothing. Throwing on a white t-shirt is an effortless look and the more you wear it, the better it looks. The Strategist recently updated their feature on the best white t-shirts for your perusal and consideration. From V-necks, to round necks, to scoop necks––you’re bound to find the fit that works best on you that you will get the most mileage out of.
These versatile pieces can be worn any way you wish and they can even be worn all together, proving just how flexible they are. The next time you’re stumped on what to wear, pull out one of these pieces as they are sure to look good no matter how you choose to style them. Sometimes staying true to classics is one of the best ways to look polished and put-together.
So tell me, which versatile statement pieces will you be adding to your wardrobe this season?
I launched my brand back in 2009 and have developed an affinity of sharing my message through story telling. For me, it includes a side of comedy, always.
Being a creative in new media today means being able to do it all. To wear all the hats. Technology has been an especially vital tool in growing and conducting my business .. after all, it is entirely based online. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to engage with you all, across the globe, like we are now, time and space not stopping us! *says this while holding radio above head outside your window*
Celebrating technology and humanity came together this weekend when I was invited out to the Santa Monica Pier for the AT&T and TOMS #CelebrateGood event. To commemorate a decade of partnership between the two companies, I got to step inside a huge shoebox, and this is what they shared with us.
AT&T has helped TOMS grow their business since they began, 10 years ago, by powering their network and spreading their mission of one for one giving. Now, AT&T is giving fans a virtual reality experience that takes you on, “A Walk In Their Shoes.” I got to enjoy this incredible advance in technology that transported me to Colombia on an actual giving trip!
It’s pretty unbelievable how real it felt to be there along the giving trip. Being able to see the activities the kids were doing, and to look up, down, and around at everything they were seeing was unreal! I’m glad I was sitting down!
I was immersed in experiences, after stepping aside from the VR station, I learned about the AT&T and TOMS partnership through this interactive 10 year timeline. Talk about being in awe of technology, I was using my feet to scroll through the years!
Above is Blake Mycoskie, the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of the company, who was on site walking around each station explaining the impact technology has had in sharing his company’s mission with the world.
I’m so happy to have shared this moment with you all, activating a shoe give, and being a part of this momentous occasion where technology and philanthropy came together. Fun fact, when you purchase a pair of TOMS, an additional pair is given to a child in need and the type of shoe gifted to them is dependent on where in the country they live!
I hope this inspires you to inspire and to view the 360 video and more, just click HERE for your VR tour!
If you could use your voice to spread a message, what would you say? We’re listening <33
This post is proudly brought to you in partnership with AT&T
This post is sponsored by Amazon, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tis the season… the season of holiday celebrations, family time, and sharing traditions. So I want to share with you what this ‘season’ means to me and my family and what some of our traditions are.
This is my favorite time of year because it’s the one time that most of my family is in the same state, under the same roof. It happens only once a year, and it’s such a special time for us all to reconnect and spend time doing things that are traditional to our family. Traditions are so significant, they bridge time and distance and link generations.
Every member of our family contributes to activating the rest of us to be philanthropic, especially this time of year, and we also all contribute to burning at least one thing for dinner… but of course. This year, it was my dad’s turn. This is my dad, Michael, he’s one of my heroes. He is a veteran, a loving husband, and humble father. This year he asked us to volunteer at the VA so most of us will be volunteering our time in person, but those unable to join us will also be participating in a different way! Amazon makes it easy to give back to organizations we collectively love and support. This way, we’re all in it together.
Our family realizes that a lot of families go without many of the things we take for granted this time of year and aren’t able to give back in this way, so it’s a privilege for us to come together and give back – and it brings us closer as a result. We also realize that we’re connecting to an entire community of families that give back with Amazon this holiday season.
Want in on all the feel good? Well, there are three really easy ways to do it, my personal favorite being through AmazonSmile Charity Lists. You can browse by cause or search for an organization’s needs and the items you purchase are donated and delivered directly to the charity. I love this method because it takes the guessing out of it for us, we simply see what they need and we’re able to purchase those items for them directly.
You can also donate a portion of the purchase price of your eligible products on Amazon to the charity of your choice with AmazonSmile by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com – and if you have an Alexa-enabled device, you can donate with Alexa to a registered charity simply by saying “Alexa, I want to make a donation.” Choices like this really do make it rewarding to give back when and where you’re able.
The organization near and dear to us is the Best Friends Animal Society. We chose to purchase items for them, shopping from their list as they are a part of the AmazonSmile Charity List. As a home that has adopted two fur babies, BFAS has a mission that resonates so closely with our family. Their mission statement is, “Best friends – save them all.” They believe that just because cats and dogs don’t have a safe place to call home doesn’t mean they should be euthanized. They work closely with volunteers, shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations to educate communities and encourage them to adopt, donate, spread the word, and volunteer to help reach their goals.
Philanthropy practiced this way allows all members of our family to be connected, and I hope you join us in this tradition! Encourage your family members to contribute to your communities in person and virtually. Amazon makes it so easy to give back to charities you love. Start a new tradition that’s timeless and that connects your family the way it does ours, and please let me know which organizations you’ll be #DeliveringSmiles to so we can check them out!
Happy holidays from me and mine to you and yours <3
I used to resent being referred to as an “influencer”. Bleh- you want to group me in with people who create these unrealistic lifestyles and never show the real life that takes place behind all of their picture perfect social media squares? No thanks! But then I thought about it, leaders influence people and we’re all leaders in our way right? P.S. don’t come for my throat, I’m not saying all influencers do this, I’m referring to the people out there who are real ‘influencer buttholes’, you know the ones.
Because I realized that we can choose what we influence and how, and we can choose to not influence at all, even. But to have the “capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone”… wow, well that seems like a big responsibility to me. And honestly, some days I choose not to go too deep and just post about my burrito and some days I choose to go there. Like today. If what we’ve been through in life and how we’ve coped can help even ONE person, wouldn’t we want to influence in that way?
you’re not f*cking it all up and whatever you’re doing, you’re doing just great
I would’ve really loved to have that when Corrine was little. For someone tell me that I’m not f*ucking it all up, that we’d make it out a-okay, that my best was in fact enough, and that I birthed a baby and stretch marks ARE sexy! Holy hell can you imagine what that would’ve done for my confidence as a single mother and my self esteem as a person?
This was wayyy before Instagram , Facebook, and all the other social media platforms that exist today ever existed. So if I had a hard time adulting before all this (still do sometimes tbh) then I know that what our kids and these impressionable young minds (adult minds too c’mon now) are feeling and how it can weigh heavily on their mental health. I have an almost 22 year old daughter and to teach her to think outside of social media is a pain in the ass, and also a lesson I had to learn. PS I still have to remind myself of that, I have my days, trust.
Comparison is the thief of joy- Theodore Roosevelt
Every image… every.single.image. *claps hands, you know she means business* that is published in magazines, on billboards, etc. is retouched. I already knew that but a few of my friends have highlighted a page on Instagram called @beauty.false and others, where Real Life vs Instagram is showcased side by side. You guysssss, it’s pretty crazy what we see on social media versus real life… and hey I get it, I love a good filter! But I use VSCO to enhance the brightness not the booty. Let’s be clear, I love bright whites and shadows and light flares and bumping up saturation…but I’m not going to bump up my booty just to fit into these ‘new norms’ I’ve been seeing. Have you seen this? Where tiny women make their waists even tinier and where they make their asses look like a science experiment? To each their own, this is not a dig, but if you’re out there with an audience and you have a voice on any platform, and you’re not sharing your truths (should you choose to be an ‘influencer’, don’t @ me), then what the fuck are you doing?
it took me 0.5 seconds to cinch my waist and fill out my hip dips
I mean, I’m a fitness coach who loves food, drinks tequila, hulks out at the gym, and has hip dips, stretch marks, and cellulite. GASP! Now, will I post what I feel is a ‘bad’ photo of myself to Instagram? Probs not, but I will be honest about how bomb lighting, a flex, or a filter will make me feel like a GD supermodel. Oh man, I’ll go into the pressures of the industry on another day, but this topic really fires me up. I personally unfollow, delete, mute, block, whatever I gotta do to not have the BS of IG creepin’ on my inner dialogue. If I’m not interested in someone’s actual life or don’t talk to them IRL than I don’t feel bad doing that and you shouldn’t either. They’re the images and messages that will fill our personal space on the daily. I need to follow more cute animal accounts! Don’t we all <3
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this, I kind of went on a tangent (no surprise) so please tell me how you feel about social media. How do you feel about influencers, are you one? Do you feel the pressure to be authentic or inauthentic? Do you think about the content you see in your feed or do you mindlessly scroll for entertainment? I’m guilty of consuming IG in both ways…hello slime vids at 3am <3
this photo got so much praise which I’m grateful for because I do LOVE my body, but also: lighting, filter, flex baby <3
I grew up with three dads. It’s a beautiful story and I love all my dads, they each play a different role in my life. The daddio who raised me was my Drill Sergeant dad. He raised us on tough love and discipline, we were like little soldiers with chores and rules, and we lived on military bases for most of my life- you get the picture.
I didn’t know this until I was much older, but there were a lot of lessons there in the things he’d say to us. LOL the story of everyone’s childhood eh? So I looked up the literal definition of, “suck it up” because it was something I’d hear on the daily. It read: Accept a hardship
Suck it up Miss Priss he’d say
My dad used to tell my siblings and I to suck it up and I was referred to as, ‘Miss Priss’. I was girly and I loved raiding my mom’s makeup bag and wearing her jewelry. I’d prance around in her stilettos before I even knew how to walk properly in them, and my sister and I would have fashion shows- we’d even dress up my brother! I thought I was a Princess. Some things never change 😉
I’m the oldest of three and I’d think to myself, ‘why do I have to be tough like my brother and why do I have to be in charge of everyone?’. I’d get into a lot of trouble if my brother or sister got into trouble so we looked out for one another, we were the three best friends that anyone’s ever had. And I’ve taken that phrase and have said it out loud to my self, I’ve said it to my daughter, I’ve even said it to my puppers when they look at their kibble like ‘wtf’. I was taught to be tough so I thought everyone else should be too. It’s the way I parented.
to accept something is to give it consent
I don’t necessarily consent to anything in life that has sharpened my edges. But I’ve learned from all of them, I’ve let some of that shit go (literally balled those moments up in my fist and dropped em out my window, and onto the freeway), and moved on from anything that didn’t grow me. I used to resent it when I was told to suck it up, it made me feel like I wasn’t given permission to hurt or feel. But it wasn’t that at all, I just wasn’t given permission to whine about it. “Why waste your energy on something out of your control?”… ummm couldn’t my dad have just said that? I was and I am allowed to hurt, to feel, and to be emotional. I just won’t whine about it… for long any way.
We don’t have to accept anything. But we can use things that would usually bid resistance and instead apply them to be the driving force behind what keeps us moving. Think of it like this: we are in control . . . of nothing. How we react is everything and if we can just take all the bullshit, all the wrenches that get thrown in our (very overly controlled) plans, the interactions with mean people and all the suck-ass situations in life, and if we can just “suck it up” for a moment- I’ve realized that there’s more that’ll keep you going than there are things that’ll knock you down baby.
I’m grateful for never being saved
When no one comes to save you, you become fully aware that you don’t need anyone to save you. You understand clearly that you can save your gahtdamn self. And I did. And you will. And you have. Read that again <3
Can you think of moments in your life where you actually saved your own ass from something and thought, “f*ck, I’ve totally got this.”? Click through to see the sweetest best friends that anyone’s ever had <3
my baby Corrine and I
who would tell this cute face to suck it up haha
I told ya, the three best friends that anyone's ever had
