New Bedroom Inspiration

(Week 4 of 52)

Hello wonderful people! I have great news, I am remodeling my bedroom in my house. Since I will be living at home for a little bit when I finish up my bachelor, I was given the "a-ok" to switch up my room and get new furniture. My Pinterest is going crazy with bedroom inspiration pics and I finally figured out what theme and furniture I want!

Theme - White Minimalistic

I chose this theme mostly because it is very timeless. One problem with my old theme of my bedroom was that I felt like I grew out of it very quickly. Also, my comforter set and the overall theme of my room had specific colors like certain shades of teals and blues. With a theme that is predominately neutral and a theme that contains common colors, I find it would be easy to decorate and find furniture. The colors I will use will be: black, white, gold, and silver. Something like this:

Bed, Side Table, and Comforter

Given the theme, you could probably guess what my bed will look like. White, white, and more white! The bed will be a cheap, plain, and white Ikea frame and will be relatively close to the ground.  The comforter and pillows of a bed normally attract the attention in a bedroom, but I want the comforter to mesh with the furniture and the theme. I am planning on a plain white, comfy comforter without any type of detailing or pattern. The detail of the bed will be the pillows which will be accent pillows with gold and lace and also a soft quilt that will be at the foot of the bed. Lots and lots of pillows as well. The side table I am planning to have will be low like the picture below or something very simple and square-like. 

Wall Color and Decorations 

We also locked down a wall color. Thanks to my brother, who is actually a good color picker, we decided on a light beige that could pass for white if lighter. I couldn't find the exact color on a pin, but this one is really close: 

This is how I will decorate the top of my bed, since my bed will be low. I plan on having different sized frames that are arranged abstractly but orderly like this. The pictures, rather than actually drawings and sketch-like prints like these, will be text posts that are black and white, gold accented patterns, book pages, etc. I am also considering this hanging light was well.

Desk Area - The Important Part 

What portion of the bedroom is important to a college student, aside from the bed. Yes, definitely the desk. One reason why I wanted to remodel the bedroom was that I wanted a space that was inspiring, where I can truly be artistic and focused as well. This is how my desk area will look like: 

I love love love long tables as desks, so you will be seeing hopefully something similar. The drawers in the desk area would be great to hold a make up collection or the millions of millions of notebooks I end up buying when I shop. 

Miscellaneous Inspiration Pieces 

This is the last set of pictures! Just little things and ideas of how I would like to decorate and make the room unique. There is a difference between plain and minimalistic, and I would really like to add these accent pieces to the room to make it a place of my own. 

I love this idea of a caged frame with pictures. This will be perfect for the space behind my door frame!

A clothes rack is a must! This is such a great way to display your best pieces. Plus, it adds some added decoration to the room.

Also terrariums with succulents are a must! What shows that indie side more than a little succulent soaking up the sun next to your bed?

I hope you enjoyed this bedroom inspiration post and you will now try to put together a dream room inspiration board as well! Take care lovies, see y'all next week

xoxo-

Jordyn  

Back to School: Update, Goals, and Tips Used

(Week 3 of 52) 

Happy Sunday loves, sorry for the late post! Yesterday marked my 1st week back to school for the spring 2015 semester. Juggling a pile-full of syllabi, bargaining for textbooks, going to work trainings, and just adding tasks upon tasks into my planner, I am finally getting back into the groove of the student life after a well needed 6-week winter break! To start off with this blogpost, here are a few pictures and comments on the past week:

The picture of the back seat of my car. If you look closely, you can
see my two suitcases, my guitar case, and my favorite hoodie. 

FINALLY put something on my empty wall! All photos were taken, from what I know of. 

First day of school selfie with my fabulous roommate, Michelle

Another first day of school selfie with my friend Skylor! Don't we look excited?

A close up on my outfit of the day. Simple, yet comfy!

Update on the List: 

☑ Try to a yoga class
One more off "the list"! (1/20/15)
I decided to attend one of the many fitness classes offered at my university, and I actually REALLY enjoyed yoga. Didn't really know my body could bend that way, but yay for trying right? I felt like I didn't work very much while I was taking the class though because everything was slow and calm, but I sure felt it after!  I also, in addition to that, took at cycling class with my roommate which was such a work out! Who I knew I could bike 10 miles?

Goals for Spring 2015 - here are three goals for this semester
1. To either maintain or increase my GPA 
2. To commit to choosing healthier meal and snack options (burgers everyday might not be healthy for me)
3. To be productive in my school work - that way I have more free time to spend with friends and doing enjoyable things. 

Tips (that I am trying):
As many know, there are MANY tips and tricks for the life of a college student. After doing a thorough search through Pinterest (link is in my social media tab), reading blogs, and asking questions, I have found three tips that I will be trying this semester.

1. The BIG due date sheet 

This idea is so smart, especially when you are a full time student. I have mounds of syllabi and assignment schedules from my 6 classes and the lab i'm taking this semester. This is such a good way to not only keep track of my assignment dates, but also my grades when it gets closer to the end of the semester. 

2. DealOz.com

Deal Oz was recommended to me by a friend of mine. This website is Chegg in the way that it will show you the cheapest online price for textbooks, but this engine opens it up internationally too! I now use this website to fins books and to also sell the textbooks I am not using.  

3. Symbols in the Planner 

Another great pin I found. Last semester, my planner was a mess. I had things written everywhere, arrows, highlights, things written in the margins, etc. Now, I will be trying to add symbols to categorize the appointments, assignments, meetings, tasks, and due dates in my school planner!

Song Recommendation for the week ♪ ♫ - Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend

Thanks for reading! I will post again next week on who knows what, so keep an eye out for that! Please also subscribe by email and be free to comment! Have a great week guys! 

xoxo-

Jordyn

Purse Essentials

(Week 2 of 52)

Happy Friday readers! Hopefully this work or school week has not been a complete wreck. This blogpost, hopefully, will make you a little more on top and prepared for the twists and turns of the weekdays. It's time for Purse Essentials! For busy girls, a purse is everything. Most girls carry their whole life in their purse and can get through many situations with just the contents of their purse alone. It is great to prepared: for long times in a doctor's waiting room, traffic, rainy days where your make up comes completely off, for times where you feel inspired or artsy, etc. These are the things I try to keep in my purse:

1. Pressed Powder
(This is must have for your purse ladies! If you have long days and you want your makeup to look flawless until you get home that night, I recommend a pressed powder with some kind of sponge applicator or at least a translucent powder. Rather than using a loose setting powder, which can make quite the mess your purse, you can use this to also save the space you would have been using if you had to carry a brush. One example of a great pressed power is definitely Bare Mineral's Translucent. This stuff, along with my makeup setting spray, keeps my foundation and cheek colors on all day. A bit pricey, but worth the money!)

2. Wallet 
(Obviously, I keep my wallet in my purse. When buying wallets, I have been trying to look for something sturdy that I can recognize when i'm blindly reaching into my purse and also something with a lot of slits for my ID's, my credit/debit card, gift cards, and coupons/promotion cards. I've been in search for a new purse and wallet, so let me know if you have any recommendations.)

3. Headphones 
(This is a key essential! If you have Spotify Premium, i'm sure you listen to music 24/7 like I do. This is also great when you want to share a song or video to someone without disturbing the environment around you. My personal favorite is the normal iPhone headphones. They are compact, neutrally colored, and long-lasting.)

4. Perfume/a Scent
(Pretty self explanatory! No one wants to be smelly, so just keep this in the purse in case you need it. Maybe you have to run to class one day or you spent too much time in that hamburger joint you ate at for lunch? Believe me, this will come in handy if you just have it laying in your bag!)

5. Extra Stash of Feminine Care Products
(This shouldn't be anything new. You know, sometimes shark week comes a little early or unexpected. You must always be prepared for this! Even if you know for a fact, on the hour when you will have it, still just keep an extra tampon and liner for one of your girlfriends or something. Help a sista out!)

6. Compact Mirror
(There will be a time where you need to use this. There are times where you just need to pluck that stray hair that is sticking out of your eyebrow, or you need to take eyelash from out of your eye, or you just need to check your eye makeup. Do yourself a favor!)

7. Snacks 
(What girl doesn't keep a snack in her purse? I don't know any that don't. For me, the snack could range from a granola bar, to cashews, to even fruit snacks! This snack is crucial for someone that is always on the go! Sometimes, you will be so caught up in your work that you will forget to eat lunch or to grab breakfast. A filling snack is the answer to your problem! This snack will hopefully tie you over to the next meal or at least to the next hour, and I don't want you fainting.)

8. Gum or Mints
(This is just a must. For me, I hate having bad breath or my mouth tasting like what I ate for lunch! You just don't have time in the middle of the day to brush your teeth (unless you have wisps), so pack some mints. Mints and gum can also substitute as a back up "snack" if you forgot your snack for the day! Pop one in after that coffee you had in the morning or after lunch and you'll be set.)

8. A Pouch of Goodies 
(Pouches are a good way to organize your bag and to have a place for the little things that would otherwise dwell at the bottom of your dark pit of a purse. For me, this pouch can have hand sanitizer, a small bottle of hairspray, tissues for makeup mishaps, band aids, and even the headphones I mentioned earlier!)

9. Sunglasses 
(Who wants to commute to work or school when the sun is so bright that it is blinding you?! Not me! A typical pair of glass I would buy would be similar to the one in the picture. My favorites always come from H&M because they last FOREVER! Be smart and bring sunglasses to stop the crowfeet inducing squinty face. Your older self will thank me in the future.)

10. Lip Product
(Sadly, I am not one of those girls that has 5 different Mac red lippies or the NYX matte glosses in my purse. I, for the most part, love MLBB shades or no shade at all on the lips. That does not mean I keep my lips bare and untreated though. I try to keep it smooth! It is always important to have some kind of balm or scrub in the purse, especially in these cold winter months. The product I featured for this section of the blogpost was the Rosebud Salve lip balm. Holy grail now! This product is so moisturizing and it provides the perfect natural tint color. Definitely recommend.)

11. Deodorant 
(Do I have to say anything more? No one wants to smell the radiating odor protruding from your pits. This is also very nice to put in the purse for the days you forget to put on deodorant. I have so much anxiety about not putting on deodorant that I am pretty sure I also have one in my car somewhere. I use the Clinical Strength for extra long lasting protection, so try it if yours doesn't seem like its working.)

12. Pill Case 
(This definitely came in handy when I needed it. I always keep a pill case either in my purse, my school bag, or my carry on when i'm traveling. For those days when your headache just cannot go away or when you feel your sinuses acting up, you will be thankful that you thought of putting a pill case in your bag. I carry pain-killers mostly, but the ones that have pills in their bag carry Mucinex and Midol. Those are good things to put in there too!)

13. Hair Accessories 
(I learned this when I played volleyball! You will ALWAYS lose your rubber band and you will ALWAYS need bobby pins. Make your bad hair day a not so bad hair day with these. I keep an extra rubber band, a small hair clip for when I want to pin my bangs back, and bobby pins for the lazy bun days.)

14. A Pen 
(Signing receipts, filling out paperwork at the doctor's office, writing a phone number on the back of a business card - there are many times you will be asked or will need a pen. My favorites right now are the Uniball Jetstream RT's. They never smudge!)

15. A Moleskin 
(My absolute favorite newest addition to my purse! My moleskin has become my baby. Everything has been inspiring to me lately! It provides a way for me to get my thoughts together, to write new song ideas, to create lists, to tape my movie stubs in and plane tickets in, and many more. In the past couple of weeks, I have gotten 2 of my close friends on the moleskin bandwagon! Please try it even if you have the slightest interest. The ones I get are very thin and lightweight, so there will be no hassle putting it into a purse or backpack.)

Song Recommendation of the Week ♪ ♫ ~ For You by David Ryan Harris 

Thanks for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed reading my Purse Essentials. Please comment and send me requests if you have any. I would love the feedback. Watch out for next week's post and make sure to subscribe by email or follow using Google+ or Bloglovin'! 

xoxo-
Jordyn 

Tech Week: Three Apps That I Am Loving Lately

(Week 1 of 52 )

Hello! With the amount of free time I have been given from being on Winter Break, I have... let's just say gotten to know my phone a lot better. After unlocking my phone, I take the route every teenager practically goes to: Social Media. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr - there are so many to check and have! Okay, well I am sure we are all guilty of relying on our phones and being on it every second of the day. Sometimes, like in my case, social media gets boring and overused. Now, I am just going to encourage you even more to use your phone with these three amazing apps. These apps can take you away from the addicting evils of social media, and also inform, enrich, and help you throughout your week. Here are my top three (free) apps of my year so far:

                                                     
Elevate (FREE) 

This apps was recommended to me by Rachel Whitehurst on Youtube. Elevate is a mind challenging game that focuses on improving everyday skills such as the ability to retain information, memorizing, problem solving skills, etc. The free version of the app creates 3 games for you to do each day to strengthen the skills you would like to work on. The games are actually REALLY fun and addicting sometimes. Nice app to let your brain go with a game, but still learn something with it.

She Reads Truth (FREE)

To all of you artsy Christian girls, this apps for you! I have recently replaced my Bible app with this one. Made by Women and for women, this app works as a editable Bible (with bookmarking tools and note taking tools), a devotional (if you would like to try the free ones or purchase), and a lock screen/wallpaper make app. Lately, I have been wanting to strengthen my faith and try to use the Bible more often. I highly recommend this app.

SmartNews (FREE) 

Have you ever been caught up with work or school so much that you realize that you have no idea what is going on in the world? I noticed this terrible observation last semester when my Sociology professor would ask about current news that related to sociology. This sleek and efficient app accumulates articles from popular websites and news sites and separates them into categories such as World, Entertainment, and Sports. Also, they enabled a smart read app that saves time between the loading screens on safari. Ohhh! And you can create alerts daily to tell you a headline or two. How neat!

Sorry for the lateness, I know I was supposed to post on Friday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this fun review and try these apps immediately after reading it. I am in love with them at this second so I am sure you'll be too. Have a great and productive week!

- xoxo Jordyn

52 in 52: The Challenge

Hello readers! After doing some thinking, I have finally found a blog resolution for this year: I am going to try to post at least one blog post per week! It might not sound very impressive or difficult to post something weekly, but when you're a full time college student, you work on the side, and you are in complete overload with assignments and essays throughout the semester, sometimes a blog post will seem like a waste of time. Actually... for me during the semester, I would think the 5 minutes lost while writing a post could be spent taking a power nap. The posts will be published every Friday since the new year did start on a Friday. This year, my 18th year, will be a HUGE year in my life and I would love to document it with lifestyle posts, interest posts, travel posts, and updates. So, please give me feedback on them and please share your ideas with me! I'm completely open to anything. Happy Friday (actually 1:36 Saturday) to everyone!

- xoxo Jordyn

3 More off The List! (12/26/14)

The day after Christmas was in fact a very eventful day, thanks to Kekoa! I'm pretty sure he didn't know about all these things on the list that he marked off. Now he knows since I shared my blog link to him, lol. He's out on deployment right now, but if you are reading this ... thank you for that day! It was a lot of fun exploring the city with you. Here are the three things he crossed off my list:

☑ To Eat REAL Ramen, not Saimin 
Very big one that I was trying to get done in Hawaii. I was obviously raised with a lot of Saimin, but I never really had REAL Ramen. I kept on seeing it on everyone's Instagram! What kind of Japanese girl would I be without trying ramen? This was at Tiger Den in Bellaire, and might I say... it was delicious. Oh, also a big thank you to his sister Nia for recommending.

Tonkatsu Ramen (makes my mouth water even looking at it again)

The crazy demonic picture Kekoa took with his Go Pro! 

Cause candid pictures of me is his thing...

☑ To eat a cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes 

Can't count how many times I've seen his on Tumblr and Pinterest. I wanted to see what the hype was about. I had the Smores Cupcake and it was literally perfection. A bit pricey, but I totally recommend if you are looking for a sweet treat when you're in town. 

Such an aesthetically pleasing cupcake shop too. 

☑ To go to Zoo Lights on a date 

Thank goodness Zoo Lights was still open that day. We had the best time, even though we had to battle the rain on our way back to the car. Gorgeous lights and the best thing to do after a good dinner and dessert! 

A little taste of the lights that were on that night.

My absolute favorite picture of us. We really can't take each other seriously!

Might want to invest in a Go Pro. These pictures are amazing! If you want to keep track of "The List," and the ones I have already crossed off, please visit the tab on the homepage of the blog! Thanks for reading!

-xoxo Jordyn 

My New Year's Resolutions for 2015

1. To "Meet the Moment" more often this year
Often, we find ourselves caught up in the normal struggles of everyday life and don't really take time to reflect or to live in the present. The future, to many (including me), tends to take up the mind and we end up loosing the beauty of the just focusing on the things that are happening right now us. My first resolution reflect this problem and is a solution to it. When someone "meets the moment" (in the words of Oprah Winfrey), their mind and their body is experiencing something without distraction. If I "meet the moment" more often, I feel that I will be more appreciative and happy about life itself. Life is a beautiful thing, and I think we should cherish it as much as we can.

2. To take care of myself and my health (like foreal this time)
Cliché, I know. I am not necessarily promising myself that I will go to the gym everyday or go on a diet or anything outrageous like that. This resolution specifically includes pampering and the easy ways to take care of my body. For example, one of my goals is to drink a lot more water. Water helps the skin, energy, practically everything. Every once in a while I would also love to put on a face mask, deep condition my hair, take a bath using one of Lush's bath bombs, etc. Eating healthy snacks instead of chips or a handful of M&M's is another easy one. Just simple changes or additions to your regular hygiene routine could make a big difference.

3. To be open to new things, let my guard down a little bit 
I learned about this guard of mine recently. This guard affected my relationships and my happiness overall for many years. It was hard for me to trust people, to take chances, and to make mistakes because I was afraid of failing or being hurt! Now, I have a new appreciation for spontaneity and I feel like my guard is slowly coming down. I challenge myself to try new things that might be out of my normal comfort zone, make new friends, and be open to the crazy places life will take me.

4. To EXPLORE more
The big city I live in is full of amazing places. When I am at home, I find that my family eats at the same restaurants: the same pho place, the same pizza place, the same couple burger places, the same big homestyle meal place, etc. Since I am deciding to commute to school and stay in this city, I want to find more hole-in-the-wall coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, shops, bookstores, outdoor trails, and hangout spots. I am sure there are many places with live music (which is a love of mine) and creative minds, so it is my goal to find those.

5. To focus on my happiness and to not do things that make me unhappy
Lastly, THIS is an important one. There were people in my life and things that I did that didn't make me happy. Right now, I am proud to say that I am content with what i'm doing right now. Since my happiness is at a high right now, I am going to focus on maintaining that. If I want to go to Starbucks and get a Java Chip Frap and a Croissant (which... *hint hint* is what i'm doing now), I will do it. This very second I am living in is here and it will be gone, so why spend my time being unhappy or waiting to do something.

Anyways, I hope this inspires you to create a list of resolutions yourself. 2015, I believe, is a year of self growth. Make everyday and everything inspiring. Live fearlessly lovies!

Please keep reading throughout the year for more life updates, inspirations posts, music recommendations, travel posts, and school related advice.

- xoxo Jordyn