5 Steps to J.Crew Cuffs

 See that little hashtag at the top? #WWJLD. It’s my little mantra for I-don’t-know-what-to-wear days and why-doesn’t-this-look-right moments. What Would Jenna Lyons Do. But thanks to this shirt cuff tutorial from Who What Wear I’ll be one step (ok, one inch) closer to capturing that Jenna Lyons babeness. It just so happens that when I saw this how-to I was wearing a J.Crew chambray shirt (not that much of a coincidence, that’s half the week for me). So I promptly unrolled my sleeves and gave this a try. It really worked! I think the key is in the last two steps, tugging on the corner and then scrunching at the end. It gives that slightly unkempt feel that juxtaposes the polished look of a collared shirt just perfectly.

Give it a try, and let me know if this (or #wwjld) works for you!

xoxo Cristina

BLOGLOVIN * TWITTER * FACEBOOK

SOURCE: WhoWhatWear

LET’S DISCUSS:: Blogging vs. Living

 

Check out all those flower crowns!

Hi friends. This is a topic I’ve been rolling over in my mind for quite some time, settling on one side of this battle before flipping it over and trying out the other. If you read the title then you know I’m referring to blogging vs. living, or in a broader sense documenting the moment or living it. If you know me in real life then I’ve probably had this conversation with you at least once, coaxed an opinion out of you and shared mine with you.

The thing is, for me personally, I have a faulty memory. I find it very difficult to remember childhood details, and at this point high school is a blur to me, even college is beginning to fade. It always helps when you have someone else’s mind to corroborate your memories with, together you can piece the  puzzle of what it was like to be a 6th grader together. But the best memory aide has always been photos, and even more accurate (and less forgiving) videos. 

So this places me quite squarely on the documenting side of the argument, but I can see the value of experiencing moments without a camera (or now, an iPhone) in your hand. When viewing the world through a small digital viewfinder, there are jokes, nuances, and stories that are sure to be missed. 

I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that my photos will be my memories in a few years’ time, but recording and photographing moments has never been my problem. It is taking the time to comb through the 200 photos I took on a given day, and choosing the best 10. Or editing 5 days worth of vacation video into a digestible 2-minute clip. Then comes re-sizing, uploading, and publishing them to the appropriate online platform (blog, Facebook, my blog’s Facebook, and don’t even get me started with Instagram).

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but I have been posting with less frequency on Fuji Files (though you can still find me regularly on CamilleStyles and  coco+kelley). You could say I’ve been trying out a little more living in exchange for less blogging. As with all things I think we can all agree that balance is ideal. But balance takes work, for such an unassuming, two-syllable word it takes considerably more work than I think anyone gives it credit for. But that is for another day. For now, I just wanted to let you know that I’m working on it. See photos above.

This was Eeyore’s Birthday Party, “it was named for Eeyore, a chronically depressed donkey in A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories who, in one story, believes his friends have forgotten his birthday only to discover they have planned a surprise party for him.“Sound weird? Well it is, I probably should have mentioned that I live in Austin, and the birthday party is an annual tradition in Austin’s hippie sub-culture. Think drum circles, costumes, glitter and birthday cake. 

As a demonstration of everything I have just written, I thought it would be appropriate to share these photos of me, living, taking pictures, and not editing the photos until 3 months later.

I’d also love to know if any of you deal with blogging vs. living, and if you have any advice for a fellow blogger.

xoxo Cristina

BLOGLOVIN * TWITTER * FACEBOOK

SOURCE: PERSONAL

Kendra Scott Giveaway!

 

Nothing brightens up a Monday like a giveaway, am I right? So as I’ve mentioned before, I’m the Editor of a beauty website based here in Austin, and the fabulous jewelry designer Kendra Scott is an Austin local as well. So me and my friends Evelyn and Nikki put this wedding video together,  along with a giveaway from our friends at Kendra Scott. We’re giving away four pairs of Kendra Scott earrings, if you’re interested simply watch the video and vote for your favorite hairstyle in the video comments 🙂

xoxo Cristina

BLOGLOVIN * TWITTER * FACEBOOK

BEAUTY FILES:: Side Braid Hair Tutorial

So this is kind of exciting, it’s my very first hair tutorial on YouTube! Let’s be clear I don’t presume to be as unhumanly perfect as Miranda Kerr, just that I really liked her side braid (which gives the appearance of a half shaved head) at the punk Met Gala.

Pssst I’ll let you in on a little behind-the-scenes (as if there were actually scenes) secret: I totally don’t know how to French braid. I had to muddle my way through it while filming this and I’m really quite proud of the outcome!

Could you tell?

xoxo Cristina

WANT MORE VIDEOS?
My DIY crystal magnets
My DIY flower crown
Cooking bacon & egg scones

BLOGLOVIN * TWITTER * FACEBOOK

MY STUDIO APARTMENT:: The Living Room

Afters are more dramatic when you use really bad Befores

See?

It’s time for a progress report. You’ve seen my bedroom, you’ve seen my dining room, and without further ado and procrastination, here’s my living room! I use the term “room” lightly because I live in a studio, so in truth it’s all really the same room. As you can see, my bed is within arm’s length of my sofa, which is within reach of my dining table. I moved into this space with much apprehension, but if you can survive a dorm room, you can survive a studio. Right? 

I’ve actually enjoyed living in a studio WAY more than I thought I would. For one thing, it’s a million times easier to keep it clean, which is of the necessity because if I leave a shirt on the floor there goes 50% of my floor space. Secondly, it’s only a billion times easier to decorate. Move in a bed and a sofa, hang a couple paintings, and the apartment was practically done. I have made a bit of progress since the initial move. I added a dividing bookshelf (from Ikea, natch) and arranged and rearranged all of the items on it 19 times.

I’ve also since hung my skateboards. This in itself is a MAJOR feat, as I’ve owned them for over a year and a half and had never managed to hang them. You’d think there would be an abundance of tutorials on how to hang a skateboard on a wall, surely a million teenage boys before me faced the same conundrum, but I couldn’t find any. Not even one. So I MacGyvered it with some fishing line (no joke, fishing line). 

I also added a coffee table, or two rather. I wish I could say that buying two small coffee tables was an act of brilliance, that I realized I would need them to be light and portable so that I could move them to the side every time I did a Gillian Michaels workout DVD (don’t judge), or each time I needed to pull the sofa bed out for guests (which is often now that it’s summer). But alas, none of that occurred to me. I simply bought them cause they were cute. And marble.

So that’s where it stands today! I have plans to take proper photos with something better than an ipad sometime soon, but I did a post on Emily Henderson’s living room on CamilleStyles today, and I wanted to show her how much I admire her and everything she touches in the off chance that she somehow ended up here today. Emily Henderson, if you’re reading this, I LOVE YOU AND EVERYTHING BLUE VELVET. 

Want More?

My DIY campaign drawers

My bedroom

My old house

My DIY dining table

Can a couch be your spirit animal? If so, Henri’s mine.

xoxo Cristina

BLOGLOVIN * TWITTER * FACEBOOK

PHOTOS: PERSONAL