Our Nursery! Boy Llama/Boho themed nursery

Home, Uncategorized

Oooops… it’s been awhile since I have blogged. I’ve had quite a bit going on here recently and I’m just now catching my breath. We moved from Russellville, I quit my job to be a mom and pursue photography full time, we are having a baby (In just a week or two), and renovated a home. Any one of those is life changing but all together I’m not sure how I survived.

I wanted to share a snip it of my baby boy’s room! It was all inspired by an alpaca picture at Hobby Lobby! I just really wanted something different and adorable. I did a ton of Pinterest searching and nothing was ever exactly what I wanted, but I was inspired significantly from there.

THE ACCENT WALL
We hand stamped the wall. We taped off the wall to make it even and then we used sponges to stamp the wall. Make sure your sponge does not have too much on there or it will not be straight and even. We also used a little wood piece to measure out in between each color so that it would be even. We just grabbed the small paint samples from Home Depot and that left us with plenty.

THE MOBILE
The beautiful mobile was custom made from an Etsy shop CLT Handmade. I actually received this as a baby shower gift from my best friend Emily! It also came with the green cactus hanging and an adorable little onesie. The packaging was so beautiful and it matches so well with my nursery. I am working on getting a discount code for you guys to use if you want to order one as well. Here is a link to her shop:https://www.etsy.com/shop/CLTHandmade?ref=shop_sugg Use the code Stephanie10 to save 10% off your purchase.

GLIDER
I also received this as a gift, but it is from target! If you have a smaller nursery this is so perfect! I did not have a lot of room for a big recliner and this one fit perfectly and is so comfortable. https://www.target.com/p/davinci-olive-glider-and-ottoman/-/A-50831758?preselect=50692535#lnk=sametab

LLAMA RUG
This rug just makes the room! I am so obsessed with it! My mother bought it for me and she said she ordered it from Walmart. I tried to find it online, but I am not seeing it to leave a link.

WALL DECOR
All my pictures and wall décor we bought at Hobby Lobby! We actually scored big time with every one except the alpaca picture. We went to Hobby Lobby right after finding out the gender and they were having 80% off a small section of wall décor. We definitely got lucky and only paid about $30 for all the pictures and cacti minus the alpaca painting! We also got the hay accent from Hobby Lobby as well.

DIY Pallet Swing – How we did it!

DIY projects

The ultimate spring/summer DIY project!
– Cost $140 (could be cheaper if you buy cheaper cushions)

Austin and I had some pallets around our house so I started dreaming up ways I could use them around the house. I came across a pallet swing idea and I fell in love. We had a tire swing (that no one was using) and I felt like we would get more use out of a swing. I could imagine editing pictures outdoors on it, reading, taking a nap (lol), or just sitting while I let the dogs play outside on a warm spring/summer day. It took some work, but I am in love with the results!

It was a pretty quick project, it only took one afternoon and we even made a supply run. It was a spontaneous idea that I decided on doing that morning. I could have saved some money on cushions if I had been able to wait and order them online, but I really wanted the entire project to be done as soon as possible so I didn’t want to wait.

We started with two pallets. The single pallets boards were a little far apart for comfort so we took the boards from another pallet and nailed those down to the first. This was probably the hardest part of the whole project. Our boards were nailed with really thick and long nails (it must have been used to carry something heavy) so we had a few boards crack and we had to start over while trying to get boards off. Once we were finally able to gather all the boards we needed we nailed them down and sanded the entire pallet with sandpaper.

What one pallet looked like without adding the boards. As you can see you could fall through the swing.
We used a total of two pallets for this project.
The final look after adding the boards from the other pallet.

After sanding the pallet we painted the pallet white. We have a blue house with white shutters so I thought a white swing with blue cushions would really tie into our home. We started off by spray painting it white (used two cans) to prime it. It took less of our actual paint because of that. We actually had some white external paint leftover from another home project that we did, but you could get away with getting a pint of white paint and that would be enough. I put about two coats on the pallet. We then sealed it with a polyurethane to waterproof it and protect it against weather.

Once the paint was dry we predrilled holes in each corner of the pallet and then add eye bolts in each hole. We used 300lb braided rope (make sure it is weather sealed) to hang it in the tree.

I went to Walmart and bought two of the long outdoor seat cushions and tied them to the eye bolts so they would not blow away. You want to make sure to get outdoor cushions so you can just leave them outside – not ruining if it rains! I actually found the pillows at Ross and they just happened to match perfectly (pure luck)! The long cushions are $40 a piece, but you can find them here cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=long+outdoor+seat+cushions&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Please comment with any questions! I hope you find this helpful and it inspires you to work with things you have laying around your home.

Thanks for stopping by,
Stephanie

Hello April! My spontaneous photoshoot at Lowes

Uncategorized

I really hate the winter and the cold so the first sights of spring have me so giddy! I love sunshine and warm days. Austin and I went to Lowes to pick up some flowers, a bird house, and a few little items for a project that we were working on (I’ll be sharing that soon). I really wanted to lighten up the home with some spring décor and flowers. I love the little flowers we bought! I decided to bring my camera, and we got a few shots in the garden section! We made sure to keep out of the way and stop shooting if anyone was even showing a little interest in the flowers we were at. Here are a few shots we got from the day. Hope you enjoy!

#flowers #springtime #springfashion #retailadventures #flowerchild #springrenovations #colorful

Being still and waiting on the Lord

Faith

In today’s world it is nailed into us that we must have it all together. We
follow major influencers who are traveling the world making money by having fun
(or at least that’s what their posts say), and we look to the success of others
to determine our worth and our success in life. Austin and I had our lives
planned out. We were going to go to college to get great jobs and move back to
Harrison to start a family. We thought it would happen as soon as we graduated
(or soon after) what we never anticipated was that God had another idea. Which
brings me to my topic, learning to wait and cherish what God is teaching you
through it.

I graduated this summer with my degree we though Austin was close behind, but
what we thought was a semester off what a year. Not by choice. Austin is
getting his degree in vocal music education. In Arkansas you must take a
standardized test before you can do your internship. He was having a hard time
with this test. What was so crazy was that he was studying so hard even getting
tutors and help from other music teachers. It just wasn’t making sense why he
wasn’t passing. He was trying so hard and doing everything right. Why was this
happening to us!? What we didn’t notice was all the ways God was working in our
lives.

Psalms 37:7 says “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

What God taught me through all the waiting was to be patient and to really
put my trust in his hands. I used to say that I trusted Him, but I never really
let go of the reigns. I wanted to be in control and know what my life plan was.
Maybe that is the perfectionist in me and why I found it so hard to actually
let go. I am not sure the exact moment that it happened and maybe it wasn’t
just one moment, but a collection of them that I started fully trusting in God’s
plan for my life. I didn’t care where the journey was taking me, but I leaped
when he said leap and went when he said go. I found joy in where we were at
while we were waiting. I learned that during our struggles God was using us.
That was His plan all along. I can see it now that Austin has passed, and that
stage is behind us, but at the time it was stressful and hard.

God also taught me to be humble, to be encouraging, to listen, and to be okay
with not being what I had planned. During our time waiting God was opening
doors for us preparing us for our future. He led us to become youth leaders in
our church as well as being the worship leaders. I think back now, and if
Austin would have passed his test the first time we would probably have been
rooted in our hometown and would have never gotten the opportunity to mister to
these amazing children. Never once did I think I would be in ministry! That was
never on my mind when I planned for college and graduated, but it has been such
an amazing experience! I fell in love with something I never knew I could want.

In October God really challenged me and this is when I started to see a shift in our relationship and in my faith. The song New Wine was placed on my heart. No matter how many songs I listened to I couldn’t get it out of my head. It just kept playing on the radio and on Spotify and I didn’t really think much of it. I just liked the song. Fast forward to a leadership conference we went to and they had a message about letting go and really preserving in the place God has you right now. Sometimes God places us in certain situations to show us something. He needs us to trust him – to change our hearts before we can receive new wine. During the camp I just couldn’t shake that God wanted me to be more active in youth and not be afraid to speak to people. I am introverted, and I hate to pray out loud let alone bring a message to the children in my youth group, but God was calling me to do those specific things… I followed him this time just fully letting go. I mean I was already in this waiting period what did I have to lose if I just fully committed? I led my first sermon and I started really pressing into worship, because it didn’t matter what the congregation thought if I was following God I knew his presence would flow. I don’t even have words for the peace that God brought into my life even while I was still waiting. We were struggling and all I could think was it was okay because God has me.

So if you are in a waiting period just remember that God is still listening. He has a plan and maybe your heart isn’t prepared for what God has in store for you or that God is opening up doors in the background that you can not see. It will be a blessing you never knew you needed until it is passed.

My experience with LASIK eye surgery

Adventures

I got my first glasses in first grade so I barely remember what it was like before glasses. When I was growing up it was not normal to have glasses. There was always this bad stigma with it, but as I got older and the world evolved, glasses were eventually trendy. I don’t hate my glasses or even wearing contacts, but I do hate feeling helpless without them. I also struggle with chronic migraines and part of what causes them is my vision. I am -8!! So when I say I can’t see anything I mean ANYTHING! Seriously I am one of those people in the scary movie where their glasses fall off and the killer is literally right in front of them and they can’t see. Yup that’s me!

Continue reading →

Adventuring

Adventures

Mt. Nebo Rim Trail
Russellville, Arkansas

I made it my new year’s resolution to workout at least once a month. I know to some people that sounds insanely low, but I get in this natural rut of working a full day and then just coming home and binge watching my favorite shows. (Speaking of… leave some of your favorite Netflix or Hulu shows you think I should try!) With me also doing photography on the side that takes up most of my weekends. When I am not working I am editing so I do not have a ton of time on my hands. To be honest I would love to be more active and be the type of person who loves to workout. I am NOT that person!

This week I met my goal by hiking. We took the pups out for a little adventuring. It was so nice to just be out in the warmer winter weather and chill outdoors. When I am out in nature I can really see how carefully God crafted the mountains and skies. To see that just really hits home sometimes. It is also so peaceful and gives me time to reflect. It was actually another affirmation that I should start the blog. We just decided to do the medium trail which is the Rim Trail. It is a little over three miles long with not to much elevation. It’s a very scenic trail and perfect for walking dogs on. Next time we might try a little harder trail.

We got there around three and that gave us plenty of time to finish the hike as the sun was setting. Sadly my camera battery had died by that time but I did manage to snag some great shots during the hike that I can share!

One of the amazing views
I could sit out here for hours just enjoying the outdoors and write!
This was actually Harper’s first big hike! She had so much fun.

I would absolutely recommend this trail for all ages and all dogs! We loved it and will be back! To find out more information about Mt. Nebo I left their website down below.

What I’m wearing:
– Grey Columbia pullover with white trim (it is also embroidered by my mother in law)
– Victoria Secret yoga pants
– Duck Boots
– Blue camera backpack to hold my gear (https://www.amazon.com/Abonnyc-Backpack-Multifunctional-Waterproof-Shockproof/dp/B00VXK8HYW)



Meet & Greet

Uncategorized

Hey I’m Stephanie! I am so excited to start this blogging journey. It has been something that has always been in the back of my mind, but something I was a little nervous to jump into.


A little about me:

I recently graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a bachelors in Marketing and Management.

I got married when I was only 19 to the best man in the world (seriously he treats me like a princess). I know I was a baby, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Speaking of babies I have three! FUR babies I mean… I have my two pups Chloe (dachshund/spaniel mix) and Harper (English springer spaniel), and my cat Oliver.

Photo by Spencer Moody LLC

I work full-time as a manager of a retail store. We sell beauty products and tons of trendy clothing! I love it there! I have always been into fashion trends and beauty products! On top of that I also am a photographer! I photograph seniors in high school and weddings primarily! If you are a curious person and you want to see my work here’s my website: http://www.smcbeephotography.com.

Things I love:
– Coffee
– Naps
– A fun outfit
– Grey’s Anatomy
– Binge watching Netflix
– Cookie dough ice cream & popcorn
– Shoes


Arkansas State Fair

Uncategorized

Austin and I took a much needed date night to the State fair this past Friday. We didn’t ride any rides this time, but we did walk around, eat some yummy food, pet all the baby animals, and listened to the concert that was playing. When I think of the fair I’m always reminded of the time I basically forced my little brother to ride the zipper with me for the first time and we were both crying! 😅 What’s your favorite thing to do at the fair?

The importance of a devotion.

Faith

I love days when I can just cozy up on the couch, journal, and spend time with God. To be honest life gets in the way a lot and I don’t have many days like this. That’s one reason I find my devotional so great. It keeps me accountable and is perfect for turning my eyes to God in a hectic season. I’ve had a few more peaceful days here recently as I have been taking on a little less photography sessions. I was burning myself out and working every day of the week without a day off in almost a year. It was then that God was really pushing me to slow down and just take life one day at a time.

I’ve been studying a devotional called All in All by Sophie Hudson. It’s really been hitting home and pushing me deeper into the word. It is more of a light devotional than some I’ve read in the past, but I’m only towards the beginning so that might change. It’s one that starts your thinking and then you can determine how to respond. There are things that it has brought up that I thought I was past or had forgotten about. It has really helped me move past a few things that I was subconsciously hanging onto. I feel so much stronger in my faith since starting one and reading the bible more and it is so refreshing. I would highly recommend finding one you connect with and diving into the word for yourself. 

Here is a link to my devotional: https://www.amazon.com/All-Journaling-Devotional-Loving-Wherever/dp/1462743404/ref=asc_df_1462743404/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413735870999&psc=1

Also in case you are curious about my distressed sweater it if from Lefler’s and the brand is POL 🙂

The perfect glowy lip balm – Laneige

Beauty

If you haven’t checked out Influenster you are missing out! It is a great way to test out new products FREE! I received this amazing glowy lip balm from Influenster that just launched in the flavor berry. One thing I will say is it does not really have a taste to it which is fine with me, because I do not really like artificial flavors in lip care. It made my lips feel so soft and it actually plumped them too. It leaves a really pretty natural tint to it as well. It is perfect for those days where you want a natural makeup look. You can also use it on top of your lipstick to add some moisture to your lips. It is so creamy and it is not tacky at all. I went walking outside and it didn’t stick to my hair!! You can buy it here: https://us.laneige.com/lip-glowy-balm.

Here are some pictures of the product. Since receiving it I have kept it handy in my purse at all times.


#glowwithlaneige #contest #complimentary

THREE WAYS TO SPICE UP BLACK JEANS

Fashion

One of my favorite things in my closet are my many pairs of black jeans. I love them because they are easy, classic, and slimming! Right now we are in this super weird winter to spring transition where I want to wear colorful things and am ready for dresses and open toed shoes again, but it’s forty degrees outside… I wear my black jeans year round so I use them to make transitional outfits! Here are some really easy ways to spice up black jeans and have completely different looks! In all these pictures I am wearing my favorite Democracy jeans from Lefler’s. If you are not familiar with this brand of jeans you need to find a retailer close immediately! They are so comfortable and they DO NOT fall down throughout the day. They also have a wider band that help keeps the “I ate too many fries” tummy.

For my first look I am wearing this pom pom knit sweater in mustard made by EN’ CREME. I paired it with an adorable star choker necklace that I snagged at Forever21.

The sleeves on this sweater make my day!

In this next look I went on the more edgy side. Every time I wear this jacket I feel like a million bucks! It is so soft and cozy – perfect for the cold weather. This Sully jacket is from Thread and Supply. My floppy hat and under shirt were thrifted! Should I make a thrifted finds post sometime? If you would like to see something like this make sure you like this post and leave a comment!

I am so comfortable being behind the camera that every time I am in front “trying” to model I just end up goofing around and laughing hoping I get a few post worthy shots. I’m not really a serious person so I feel like my blog should represent me.

I saved my favorite new sweater for last. This sweater is so colorful. It also touches on my love for the color block trend. I can picture myself wearing this into the spring maybe with some cute overalls or some shorts and heels! This sweater is by Fate. This brand is wholesale only which means you will have to find it in a retailer. I found it at a boutique in Conway, Ar. I paired it with some colorful tassel earrings.

I love that we got a close up of my ring in this picture. This is my engagement ring. I actually have another wedding set because when we tried to find a band with this ring we could not find one at all! We searched for so long and we ended up choosing another set. This ring has so much sentimental value though so I still love to wear it. One day I would love to pass it on to one of my children or grandchild.

Find these pieces here:
Mustard sweater: https://www.shoptiques.com/brands/en_creme
Star necklace: https://www.forever21.com/us/shop/catalog/product/f21/acc/1000281554
Sully Thread and Supply jacket: https://threadandsupply.com/products/sully-jacket
Fate block sweater: https://www.shopeleighs.com/







#encreme #fateclothing #threadandsupply #fuzzyjacket #blackjeans #wintertospringoutfits #cutesweater #floppyhat