The “Facebook” effect

So you think that girl/guy you’re so jealous of and stalk on social media has the perfect life right? They seem happy 24/7. They are beautiful, smart, funny. Everything YOU want to be. And to top is off, their boyfriends/girlfriends seem even more perfect.

I catch myself doing this a lot. Looking at other people’s lives and finding myself disappointed with my own. Yesterday I was looking at a fellow bloggers Instagram upload where her boyfriend had gotten her Gerber Daisies (my favorite flower) “just because.” At first I was all like “What the hell Austin, you suck!”

Then I realized him not getting me flowers for no reason doesn’t mean he’s a bad boyfriend to me. There are plenty of other things that he does for me that make me happy. People (including myself) mostly share the good things and rarely share the bad.

The point is, don’t be so quick to get unhappy with your own life. Think of all the shitty things that happen to us in REALITY. Do we share those things? No. Neither do those that you are jealous of.

I’m mad at myself for even comparing my life to others’s based off of social media. Sure, some of the stuff shared on social media is genuine, but ask yourself, if someone is THAT happy with their life, why do they have to share it and let everyone else know just how happy they are? I’d say at least 50% of peoples posts are pretty sugar coated.

We share our “Ideal” selves on social media, not our REAL selves.

We ALL have something beautiful to bring to the table. It may not seem like you have the perfect life, but no one does. Just remember that.

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Favorite Items for Spring

There are MANY reasons why I want warm weather and sunny skies to hurry up and get here. Most of them being because I want to wear cute clothes and actually enjoy being outside again. Since I started working for a boutique, I have seen a TON of cute items coming in and out of the store and it’s making me even more anxious!!

Here are my favorite things for spring:

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1. Stacked bracelet sets from http://erimish.com. Their summer sets are AWESOMEEEEEE. I got a white set and a rose gold single so that I can basically wear them everyday.

2. Graphic tees and tanks. There are so many funny/cute sayings to wear around about how you’re feeling about life.

3. Cut-off jean shorts. Now that I have been working on my fitness and learned how to walk in heels, these are going to be my best friend. All day errday.

4. Heart shaped sunglasses. They speak for themselves. Adorable.

5. Bootcut/Bell Bottom jeans- Ahhh! Wore these the other day with a pair of wedges and they made my short stubby legs look SO long!

6. Not Rated “Blue Sea” heels (find them here http://lovecocos.com/products/bluesea-bronze) When I first saw them I thought “ew those are so gaudy”. But once I put them on my feet I fell in love. SO cute and they are neutral and can go with a ton of outfits and they are also comfortable.

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April Fools!

In the spirit of April Fools day, which is also my best friends birthday (HAPPY 22nd Haleigh!), I am going to tell you about the best April Fools joke I ever played. It was my junior year of high school and my mom still woke me up for school every morning. I had a habit of falling asleep on the couch, which really ticked my mom off, so I knew it needed to be incorporated into the plan.

I laid out two pillows from my bedroom and covered them up with my comforter. (I froze that night but it was TOTALLY worth it.) Then, I laid out my hair extensions in the perfect way to make it look like it was me that was laying out on the couch.

I wrote a note (which I have no idea how she didn’t see it first) that said “April Fools Day Mom!!” LOLLLL. When ACTUALLY she woke me up (in my bed) that morning, I asked her if she thought it was me. Her reply was awesome and exactly the reaction I was after. “I thought that you were dead when I felt a soft pillow which I expected to be you, and I jumped back for a second! Then I saw the note and laughed to myself.”

Of course I start cracking up. She then said that she not only did it once but when she walked through the living room after fixing her hair she tried waking the fake Taylor up AGAIN! HAHA. I was so pleased with myself.

This plan went much better than the year I told my sister that our dog died…

Whats the best April Fools Joke You’ve ever played on someone?! (leave a comment below! Seriously, I love April Fools so much.)

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Think positive everyday.

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Sometimes I forget to stop and think about how lucky I am to have the things that I do. When I look around and see so many things that I don’t have yet, so many things that I want, I get jealous and begin to think so negatively about myself. “I’m not good enough.” ; “She’s so much prettier than me.”; “I am not happy”…the list goes on.

Last night I was having a lot of those thoughts and couldn’t sleep. I texted my friend Alyssa and within 5 minutes she was calling me. (Something to be so thankful for.)

After talking to her I realized (and this is not the first time I have realized this) that it’s all about my perspective.  I woke up this morning and told myself that I was going to try my best and have a good productive day, no matter what. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but today it did.

My mom always tells me “Happiness is a choice, not a destination.” None of the things (relationships, clothing, cars, etc.) are going to make a difference in how happy a person is, maybe for a little while, but eventually the feelings keep coming back. I’ve learned that I need to be happy with myself before I can be happy with anything else.

Don’t think negative and you won’t have a negative day.  It’s that simple.

I have a list on my phone of things that make me happy. When I get in moods like I have been this past week, I read over it and then add one thing to the bottom of the list. Reading these brings me back to reality and helps me think positively. It also helps me see how many great things I really do have.

Choose happiness today!

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DIY: Flower Crowns

So flower crowns are about the most adorable thing of my life… The other day I got the honor of making a few at work for a fashion show we were in last week. (they looked amazing, btw!)

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They were super easy to make and I ended up doing one for myself out of the leftover materials because I loved them so much.

Real flower crowns are to die for, but since we want to use them over and over in our pictures I decided that we wanted them to be made of fake flowers. Here are some tips on how to make long lasting flower crowns easily and for cheap.

1. Plan out what color scheme you want your flower crown to be. We decided to go with black & red; different shades of purple; and for the last pink & white.

2. Go to Hobby Lobby when STEM flowers are on sale. I got the ones I used for 50% off! I advise you to do the same because those things are pricey. ($5.99 for one rose – HA!!!)

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3. Make sure that you get a variety of sizes and greenery to cover the headband part. For a dramatic flower crown you will want big flowers such as roses or gerber daises. For a more subtle flower crown you should get stems of baby’s breath or other small flowers. Also get green grapevine wire and floral wire. They look like this:

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4. Wrap the grapevine wire to fit around your head, leave a little extra to wrap it around a the end to make a circle, and cut with wire cutters then wrap the ends around each other. (make it a little bigger than your head if you’re going to use a lot of flowers.)

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5. Start cutting pieces of the greenery you picked to wrap around the grapevine wire to cover it up. Twist a piece of the floral wire around each section, then wrap that around the grapevine wire. You are trying to hide it with the greenery to make it a little more dense.

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6. Finish by wiring on your main flowers. Hot glue on any peices that look like they could be loose. (Especially big heavy flowers.)

Finished products:

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Bachelorette Parties

Spring is almost the corner, which means lots of couples are getting ready to get married. None that I know all that well, because my girlfriends swear they’re never want to get married. *Cough, HALEIGH, ALYSSA, ERIN, cough*  Upcoming weddings mean that there are about to be a lot of bachelorette parties in out midst.

I have only been part of one bachelorette party, but I am almost positive it was the greatest one ever. Alright, it was my sisters, so I might be biased–but seriously the day included mimosas and pole dancing— awesome. 

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One bachelorette party that I know will be attending in the near future is for one of my other sisters, Kylie. I am not going to be the one to plan it because 1. No one nor myself trusts me to and 2. She has 6,000 other friends that will do it for her. That doesn’t mean I am going to sit back and not throw any of my opinions in. I want to go canoeing, eat hot dogs, and make a weekend out of the occasion. (reasons no one wants me to plan it)

If you are the one helping her with this important, and completely necessary day, you should make it the most cliche, ridiculously fun experience ever.

Including but not limited to:

1. Pole Dancing

Yes, this is my first suggestion. One of the most fun things I’ve ever experienced, and if the bride likes to workout, this is also great for working on your fitness!

2. Penis EVERYTHING.

Cups, plates, shot glasses, straws, glasses, etc. Easily accessible at your local Spencer’s.

3. Lingerie Presents

4. Limo Ride

5. Dinner & Drinks

6. The bar afterwords

Where she will wear a sash and a light-up hat.

Ready, set, party!

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Why graphic tee’s are so great

Graphic tee’s are basically t-shirts that are acceptable to wear out in pubic. They are comfortable and express you as a person. What’s not to love? Well, here is a tip to help you love them even more:

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Wear your graphic tee regular and dress is up with jewlery; or tie it up and make it a crop top!!

Two shirts in one:)

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My first day

Well, I started my new job at Cocos Boutique as Creative Director of Social Media today. Absolutely loved it. I have a cute little desk set up right next to a window, a studio photography room to work in, and two great bosses who treated me with respect all day long. What else could a girl ask for? Today’s agenda included taking pictures of the new arrival shoes and purses then adding them to the website.image

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IMG_8366 It was fun. I also posted to social media throughout the day, so if you don’t do so already, be sure to go follow Cocos Boutique on Facebook, Instagram & twitter! SO many cute things. There will also be a blog coming soon! I’ll keep you posted for that 🙂 I feel like my future is bright and I can’t wait to use my creativity to help them grow.

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