I Quit Social Media and I'm Loving It

To say it's been a while since I've written a blog post would be an understatement. I've been exceptionally lazy when it comes to blogging and instead I've just been focusing on my Etsy shop. I also quit social media. I stopped using Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (personal and Please Note accounts) in October and I'm so happy that I did. I wanted to take some time to share how it has affected me in case any of you are considering it as well. I've compiled a list of the ways that quitting social media has positively affected me because honestly, as far as I can tell, there is hardly any downside. 

I'm Getting Things Done

My post-work routine before quitting social media was a lot different than it is now. I used to come home and immediately plop down on the couch (ok, that hasn't changed) and start scrolling. Before I knew it, it was 7PM and I hadn't started dinner. This would snowball. I'd make dinner late, and then my husband and I would be too tired afterwards to do the dishes and we'd let them pile up. Now, I find myself plopping on the couch for a considerably less amount of time because there isn't much to look at on my phone. I start making dinner earlier and actually do the dishes afterwards. This is nice because now when I come home from work the following day, I'm coming home to a clean kitchen that I actually want to cook in.

I also watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo in January (like everyone else) and organized our entire apartment. It feels SO good. We donated 9 large bags of clothes/miscellaneous items. 9 bags! I know where every single item in our apartment is now and it makes day to day life so much easier. We're currently house hunting and being this organized is going to make moving 10 times easier. I'm actually looking forward to it.

I'm Living in the Moment

Now that I don't have Instagram, I don't feel the constant urge to photograph everything. I suppose this could be seen as a bad thing because I'm barely taking photos at all anymore, but at the same time, it's helping me see what is really important. I'll take photos on holidays, if we're at a special event, or on someone's birthday but that's about it. I don't need to share what I made for dinner. I can just make it and enjoy it (and be as messy as I want because it doesn't need to look pretty for a photo). I don't need to share my walk to the coffee shop. I can just walk there, enjoy the weather, get a cup of coffee and walk home. 

I'm finding myself feeling more at ease when I'm in public now. Let's say I'm at a restaurant, waiting for my to go order. I used to just stare at my phone until I heard my name called. Now, I relax and look around. I take the moment to be alone with my thoughts. I've even found myself in the middle of a conversation with a stranger because neither of us happened to be staring at our phones. Once I learned to stop using my phone as a crutch, I felt less anxious.

I Have Less Anxiety

Speaking of anxiety, I've noticed that, for me at least, social media was definitely a big cause of it. I was constantly thinking about it when I wasn't even using it. Should I have posted that? Could I have edited that photo better? Did that comment I left sound weird?

I tend to overthink everything and social media was only making it worse. Why waste my time worrying about trivial things? I have plenty of more important things to overthink. Haha.

I Get A Break From the News

The second I quit Facebook and Instagram I was in control of when I read the news and what news I read. Let's face it, the news is draining and having articles shoved down your throat all day can be exhausting. Yes, I still read the news every single day and yes, I still try to be fair and read articles and opinions that that I might not agree with but I stop reading when I want to. Giving yourself a break from all of it is necessary. Staying informed is important but so is my sanity. 

I Have More To Talk About

The only possible negative I've noticed is that I'm definitely finding things out a little later than most of my friends (engagements, babies, etc) but I'm ok with that and in fact, the more I think about it, it's not a negative at all.  My family and friends often have news to share when they see me in person now and vice versa. Since I'm "out of the loop", people can tell me things and actually see my reaction instead of just seeing that I "liked" their announcement. 

Have you ever started to tell someone something only to have them say, "Oh ya, I saw that on your Instagram"? That doesn't happen to me anymore. No one knows what I've been up to unless I tell them, and it's so liberating. Instead of trying to figure out what to tell people that they don't already know, I'm realizing that I have a ton of stuff to talk about.

_____________________________

To sum it all up, I'm loving being social media-less and don't see myself going back anytime soon, if ever. If you're considering giving it a try but think it might be too difficult, I promise it gets easier. I was a full blown addict, opening Instagram without even knowing I was doing it. It was like a reflex. If I was able to quit cold turkey, anybody can.

Camping Theme Wedding Reception

My (now) husband and I eloped in Las Vegas in September and then went on an epic road trip across the country. We camped almost the entire way so when it came time to have our wedding reception we figured a camping theme would be perfect. Well, the reception was last weekend and I managed to snap a few photos before everyone arrived. I had so much fun planning this and even more fun actually decorating everything the day of. I'm so happy with how it turned out and I can't thank my mom enough for letting us throw the party at her house. 

Plates and utensils can be found here and here.

Berry baskets for snacks can be found here. We served Utz Pub Mix. It's always a big hit. Scattered around the party were some fun card games. We used these. They have a cute retro look.

We placed these lanterns everywhere. I wanted a few different colors (instead of all red) so I removed the glass and painted a couple navy blue and dark green.

Tote Bags!

I turned some of my favorite card designs into tote bags! I'm so excited about these! These totes are available in my shop right now. Go take a look! 

Triple Scoop Pumpkins!

Looking for a fun DIY pumpkin project to try this Halloween? Give this ice cream cone a try!

What you'll need:
-three round pumpkins
-insulation foam
-paint
-paint brush
-clay pot
-small saw or knife to cut the pumpkin stems

Start by cutting off the pumpkin stems and then spraying the bottom of each pumpkin with insulation foam. Let the foam harden over night. Paint each "scoop" a different color. I used spray paint. Once dry, stack the scoops on the clay pot to form a triple scoop! You can use more insulation foam between the scoops to hold them together. I even sprayed some inside the pot to hold the bottom scoop.

Note: You can also stack the pumpkins while the foam is still wet and let the triple scoop harden all together, then hand paint the entire thing with acrylic paint.

Gilmore Girls Cards!

To celebrate the upcoming Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix, I made 4 brand new Gilmore Girls cards for the shop! You can buy them individually or as a set. Available here.

Texas

Over the weekend we went to Austin to attend the wedding of our good friends Andrew and Nina and we had so much fun. We stayed at a really cool Airbnb. It was actually a retro-style trailer. It was perfect for 4 people. We also went on a miniature Dazed and Confused tour, ate a ton of good food, drank too much Lone Star, and, of course, had a blast at the wedding.

Here are some links to the places we went that I really loved, if you're planning a trip to Austin anytime soon:
-our Airbnb
-Top Notch Hamburgers (from Dazed and Confused)
-Texas Chili Parlor (one of the bars in Death Proof)
-Hoover's Cooking (the breakfast is really good)
-Radio Coffee and Beer

For more places to visit, check out photos from my last trip here.

All in all, it was a super fun and memorable weekend. Congratulations Andrew and Nina!

Recently

1.) A delicious La Chiquita michelada from the Alta Baja Market.

2.) My mom's cat, always so happy to see me.

3.) Road trip planning!

4.) A plant I brought back from the dead. I'm so proud of this.

5.) An anniversary gift I made for some good friends.

6.) My favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. Recipe here.

7.) A before and after shot of my finished memorial tattoo. It took about 11 hours total. Special thanks to Joey Foote for tattooing it and Allison Peairs for drawing it.

8.) Happy hour with an old friend at The Attic.

Summer Dinner Recipes

I don't know about you but I hate turning the oven on during the summer when my apartment is already 500 degrees. So, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite summer recipes, none of which require using the oven..

Clockwise from the top left:

Slow-Cooked Spicy Chicken and Beans - This recipe is SO simple and it's prepared in a slow cooker so you hardly have to do anything at all.

Cheesy French Toast and Tomatoes - I love breakfast for dinner and this is a really interesting savory way to prepare french toast and use tomatoes which are everywhere during the summer. You won't be disappointed. 

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas - These are perfect for a last minute meal. Chances are you might already have all of the ingredients on hand.

County Fair Chili - Unfortunately, the county fair closest to me won't be having a chili competition this year but that's not going to stop me from making my favorite chili. This recipe takes a little bit of time and effort but it's well worth the work.

DIY: Patriotic Burlap Wreath

Summer is fast approaching and I realized that although I've made quite a few wreaths in my day, I've never made  a patriotic one for the 4th of July. So, after some Pinterest browsing, I decided to make a burlap wreath with some red, white and blue accents. Read on to learn how to make your own!

What you'll need:

• metal wreath frame
• burlap (I used the 7" roll in natural from Paper Mart)
• wire
• red, white, and blue flowers
• small flags
• wide fabric ribbon (I used this patriotic striped ribbon from Paper Mart)
• hot glue
• scissors

Start by wrapping your wreath frame with the burlap. I used this tutorial. It's way easier than I thought it would be.

To make the bow, make three loops with the ribbon and use the wire to tie them together in the center. Take a smaller piece of ribbon and wrap it around the center. Glue two long pieces of ribbon to the back for the tails of the bow. Wired ribbon is ideal because it curls and holds its shape perfectly.

Attach the flowers to the wreath. I trimmed the stems and used wire to attach them to the wreath frame. Add a flag or two, glue the bow below the flowers and you're all set!

Exploding Boxes

Have you guys heard of these exploding boxes?? I know, I'm really behind. My friend Jess introduced me to them recently and I think they're so cool! Hers are far more intricate than mine. Most are actually. I just wanted to show you the one I made for my Mom for Mother's Day because I love how it turned out.

If you'd like to learn how to make your own, this tutorial is extremely helpful and detailed. There are tons of crazy exploding boxes on Pinterest too. The possibilities are endless!