Lindsey Sparkles

TWENTIES GUIDE TO LIFE -- RELATIONSHIPS!

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Here we are at part two of my Twenties Guide To Life series! Did you read the first post about budgeting? I'd love to know how following any of the advice helps to change your life. This post is all about...relationships! Dun. dun. dun. As someone who has been in a relationship for the past few years and has spent plenty of time single, as well, I feel confident in everything I am going to share with you.

1. Don't dwell on the past Don't spend your time dwelling on past arguments or things that have happened in the past. Did he say he'd be there in 20 minutes and then get caught up playing video games for 3 hours? Don't dwell on it. Say your aggravations as they're happening, learn from it together, and move on.

2. Give him (or her) some space This is especially true if you live together. Spend at least a few hours a day apart. If he wants to go up and see his family for a weekend, that doesn't mean you have to go too. Feel okay doing things separately. Too much time together can cause friction and animosity.

3. Expect romance A little romance is never too much to ask. You're in a ROMANTIC relationship. You're not just buddies. Romance doesn't need to mean fancy dinners or an expensive bouquet of roses after work. Planning a date day at least once a week is a great way to keep the romance going. Falling into a rut is easy, if you find yourselves slipping - do something to change it.

4. Learn to compromise It's not always going to be what you want all the time. I know, it's dreadful. You know what's not so bad? Compromising. Whether the compromise is what to have for dinner, what movie to watch, who's going to sweep the floors, or who's going to clean up after your dog. Always be ready to compromise. Pick your battles wisely.

5. Accept the ghosts of relationships past Unless you've been with your significant other since you were much younger, they've probably been with other people. Both sexually and emotionally. There's nothing worse than sitting and thinking about the other people that your person has been with. It's important that both people accept the other's past relationships and don't dwell on them. Your partner is choosing to be with you. That should be enough.

6. Find separate hobbies Go to a dance class, work on your planner, have wine nights with your friends. Having interests and things you do that the other isn't necessarily interested in is so important. You'll both be happier if you have individual interests and hobbies.

7. Don't stop trying When the novelty of a new relationship starts to wear off it's easy to stop trying to impress your significant other. You may stop going to the gym, making them meals, or dressing up for them. Continue trying to be the best version of yourself. Put on a sexy dress, pour a couple glasses of wine, do the dishes without being asked. Don't fall into being a sub-par version of yourself just because it's comfortable.

A New Addition To The Family

Friday, October 7, 2016

It's been awhile since I posted, but in my defense life has been a little crazy. We took a trip down to Napa for a few days to visit family and stopped at Bend on the way down and back. While we were down in California we went and visited puppies that my mom's dog recently had. The puppies were staying at the breeder's house so we had to drive about 40 minutes to go and see them. We knew we really wanted one, but the one we fell in love with just happened to be a pet quality one vs a show quality one and since there was a big waiting list for pet quality pups, we thought there was no chance we would get the one we wanted.

But...surprise! A few days after being back in Portland we got the news that this little cutie will be ours! We're still trying to come up with a name and won't have her for another 4-5 weeks, but are thrilled about the new addition to our family. She's a Rhodesian Ridgeback and will get to be about 65 pounds when she is full grown. We would love some help coming up with names! We're going to name our second dog, Biscuit, if that helps at all. :) Enjoy swooning over puppy pics!

Twenties Guide To Life -- Budgeting!

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

I'm excited to be starting a new series on my blog! I've been working on getting my life together and am enthusiastic about sharing some of my favorite pieces of wisdom with all of you! I'll be sharing advice about health, relationships, and finances. For part 1, I have lots of great tidbits about budgeting! Let me know if any of this helps you & if you have any pieces of advice that you would like to share!

Write out your budget I hate sitting down and taking the time to budget, but it really does help me keep my spending on track. I have an expansion for my planner where I write out my projected budget for different categories (housing, utilities, entertainment, food, services, etc.) and then at the end of the month I compare what I actually spent on each of those things. It's important to include budgeting for social events, as well as, small splurges. Are you going out drinking with friends? Do you really want the the newest Kylie Jenner lip kit? Budget for that! Make sure that you also budget for small impulse buys. It's ridiculous to think that you won't pick up anything unexpected throughout the month. Be prepared for it!
Stop drinking at 10 pm When you go out for drinks, stop drinking at 10 pm. The longer you drink, the more money you'll spend + you'll just feel really shitty in the morning. The longer you stay and drink, the more likely you are to totally break your budget.
Use cash for social nights out An easy way to stick to your budget for an evening is to use cash only when you go out. Did you budget $50 for an evening out? Only bring $50 with you. Period.
Stay focused when online shopping This is my biggest budget buster. I'm guilty of spending hours shopping online and buying things I don't need. Making sure I'm only shopping for what I'm looking for is a big help. If I go online, find the exact item I'm looking for, and then check out - my wallet is a lot happier. Plus, the less I browse the less I get FOMO.
Don't buy things just because they're on sale Another thing I used to be incredibly guilty of. I can't even tell you how many times I would be at the store and see a pair of $300 J Brand jeans for $75 and had to buy them because...how could I not?! I own over 30 pairs of jeans and I never actually needed another pair. 75% of the time the purchase would just sit in my closet and hardly ever be worn. Unless it's an item that you would want to buy at its regular price, don't purchase it.
Cancel sneaky payments If you're looking at your bank statement and see something that you meant to cancel - immediately go online or call to cancel. If you haven't logged into Hulu for 6-months, why continue paying for it?
Put a portion of your paycheck into a vacation fund Everyone needs a vacation every once in awhile just for a break from reality. A vacation is a fun thing to save for and is amazing for your mental health! An easy way to save if you don't feel like you can take a set amount every check to put away is to save your $5 bills. If you break a $20 buying coffee and you end up with a 10, a 5, & a couple 1's...put the 5 aside. It adds up quick, I promise!
Have a misfit food week Once a month, instead of going grocery shopping, only eat items that you already have. You'll save money but not shopping for things you don't really need and won't be wasting as much food!
Make sure your health & dental plans fit your needs When picking health & dental plans, make sure you pick the ones that best fit your needs versus just choosing the cheapest option. If you need medication, don't pick a plan where you'll end up paying $100 each time. Check the deductibles, co-pays, and prescription costs. Find out exactly what is covered and how much you'll have to pay if you have to see an out of network doctor or if you end up in the ER. Paying a little more each month may end up saving you in the long-run.
Focus on long-term satisfaction When debating a purchase, think about your long-term satisfaction versus your short-term satisfaction. Are you going to feel good about the purchase later? Buyer's remorse is never a good feeling.

Know When To Take A(n Extended) Break

Thursday, August 25, 2016

One thing I pride myself on is not sticking it out through something when I'm not inspired and not happy. That doesn't mean that I give up on things, it means I know when to step away and take a break. Sometimes the break is an hour, sometimes the break in two weeks, and sometimes that break is five years. It's important to know when taking a step back is actually going to propel you forward.

In School
If it's a school project that got you down in the dumps, take a couple of hours off. If you have the time a few days is even better. If it's school in general that is dragging you down, take a semester off. Reevaluate what you're going to school for. If it's really that dreadful, maybe you're not going to the right reasons or are trying to force yourself into the wrong field. When you find the thing you love, you'll love learning about it.

In Relationships
An extended break from a relationship is probably not going to work in your favor. Step back, take a weekend to yourself. Go on a solo vacation or spend time on your own for the weekend. Though you may think your friends give amazing relationship advice, make your own decision. They're not in the relationship - you are. If after a couple of days you aren't feeling it still - break it off. Don't tell him that you're taking a relationship break when you take some time to yourself. Breaks are not good news. And do you really want him thinking he has a free pass for the weekend? I think not.

At Work
If you don't have money in the bank, start looking for a new job before quitting. If you have a couple months worth of rent/bills saved up. Just up and quit. Find a job you love or move across the globe for a few months. The world is at your fingertips. Don't waste your time working a job that you hate. If it's just been a few bad days, take a sick day. Binge watch some Netflix, enjoy a bubble bath and a glass of wine. You'll go back feeling refreshed and better than ever.

Blogging (or Writing...or Art)
When it comes to anything somewhat creative if you're feeling blocked don't force it. I recently found myself uninspired and in a blogging rut. I took a few weeks off and I'm back with a totally new set of eyes. I'm ready to change my branding and switch up my content. I now know what I'd like to share with the world. Taking a couple months off between seasons of my podcast is also amazing. We get to discuss where we want to go and how to make our format and content better. It doesn't have to be a long-term break, but if you feel like you don't know what you want to draw or write or say, step back for awhile and breathe. Go do something else and come back to it when you're ready.

Taking a break isn't a sign of failure, but if you force yourself to do something that you're not proud of you can easily become one. Listen to yourself and know when to stick it out, when to take a break, and when to know you're done for good.

How I Became A Celebrity Fashion Stylist

Growing up I would look at photos of celebrities on the red carpet and swoon. They almost always look impeccable. A hair was rarely out of place and their outfits were something out of a dream. I would find myself googling how to become a fashion stylist and realized that unless I moved away and went to school for fashion, interned for a decade, and got lucky that it wasn't in the cards for me. I lived in Northern California and there weren't many opportunities in fashion where I was from. One day, I took it upon myself to research different entertainment PR firms and who they represented. I would look up teenage stars that hadn't been in much (yet) but had big projects in the works. I spent days and days collecting information before I started reaching out to the publicists directly. I told them I was an up & coming fashion stylist and that I could style their clients free of charge (for the first event). Out of about 40 e-mails that I sent out, about 5 were a hit. I started dressing stars from the CW & Disney Channel for awards shows and NYFW events. The more girls I styled, the more publicists wanted to jump on board. I would go around to showrooms around LA and pull dresses, shoes, and jewelry. I would meet the girls on the sets of their TV shows and at their houses for fittings. I would find hair stylists and make-up artists and explain in explicit detail how I wanted them to look. At a certain point, I knew that the traveling back and fourth was too much for me and was hard on the relationship that I was (& still am) invested in. On occasion, I will still dress people for award shows and movie premieres, but I've come to the point where I'm pickier. I work as a fashion stylist for Stitch Fix and dress real women for everyday life. I guess the moral of my story is, just because everyone tells you that there is only one way to get the career of your dreams doesn't mean that's true. You can pave you own path to success and get there on your own terms. If any of you want advice on how to make it in the industry and don't know where to start, feel free to message me. I'm always here to help!

Bumbershoot 2016

It's official! Andrew & I will be heading to Seattle next weekend to cover Bumbershoot for the blog + our podcast. Qualifying for media passes is always exciting and I'm especially excited because several of my favorite artists are performing this year. I've been dying to see both Halsey and JoJo in concert and am thrilled that I'll get to see both during the same weekend. I've started working on putting together outfits for the weekend, but Seattle makes it so difficult! It's going to be in the low 70's at the hottest part of the days, but most of the performances are in the evening. I need more cute jackets! At least my cute military inspired cargo jackets will be receiving their fair share of wear! What would you wear?! Share your festival fashion inspiration with me! Are there any performers on the line-up that you'd love for me to cover on the blog and a special vlog post?! Let me know!

Portland Update

Monday, August 22, 2016

We've been in Portland for a couple weeks now & I am loving it! We're finally figuring out furniture and how we want to decorate everything. We went to Cost Plus World Market yesterday and picked up a new rug, pouf, some wine glasses, and a tray. So cute! Postmates has been our best friend since moving to the new spot since all of our kitchen stuff is still back in Napa. Today we got donuts delivered and they have been a real treat. I hadn't had a donut in ages before coming here!

Our new mattress is taking forever to arrive which is a pain...mainly in my back! We borrowed an air mattress from Andrew's aunt who lives in Portland, which was great for a couple of days. Not so great now.

We do have an extra long/extra deep bathtub though...which is heaven!!! I have been taking a bath every single day & the fact that I know live close to a LUSH makes things even better!

When we first got here I made an appointment at a place called Finger Bang for a mystery gel manicure and this is what they did for me. They're even more gorgeous in person! Light pink with holographic mylar and edged all the way around with white. I have my second appointment there tomorrow and look forward to seeing what magic they come up with!

Comic-Con Recap

Sunday, July 31, 2016

I'm baaaaack! It's about time!

After feeling super uninspired and unmotivated to blog, I took a few weeks off and am now back and better than ever! I had a great time at San Diego Comic-Con last week and want to share my trip with all of you!

Wednesday

We got up super early on Wednesday and flew to San Diego. Since we had professional passes, we had access to the exhibit hall for preview night. We stood in line to get wristbands to see the Dreamworks panel the next morning (who wouldn't stand in line to see Justin Timberlake?!) and switched off who waited. Luckily, there were lots of Pokestops and lots of new Pokemon to catch in line. Woo hoo! After about 3 hours, they finally passed out wristbands and it was back to the hotel for an early night.

Thursday

We got up at 5:30 in the morning to get a good place in line to make it into the panel we had gotten wristbands for the night before. At 9am they started letting people get seats and we were only 8 rows back. Yesss! Justin Timberlake was so close! They showed about 16 minutes of Trolls and Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake answered questions from Chris Hardwick. Everyone was given colorful troll hair & we had a fabulous time.

Alec Baldwin then came out to talk about Boss Baby, which looked absolutely awful! We grabbed some cocktails and quesadillas from the hotel bar and then were back for a full day of panels. We watched the pilot for Falling Water, sat through The Last Ship panel, and then it was time for one of our favorites - The Man In The High Castle. It was an interesting panel and Andrew had his badge signed by Rufus Sewell at the end. Perks of sitting in the first row! We watched the Drunk History panel, went to find sandwiches at a food truck and then hit up the Cartoon Network costume ball. I'm still bummed no one from the Regular Show was there this year, but hey! At least they showed a short clip!

Friday

Friday...the day we stood in line for 5 hours in the blazing hot sun with nowhere to sit to get into the Rick & Morty panel...which we didn't get into! We literally were the next group to get to go in when they announced that there were no seats left (which is funny because evidently there were a ton of seats). Needless to say, I was very sunburned, cranky, and hungry. We then went over to Ballroom 20 for the TV Guide Fan Favorites panel, iZombie, Scream Queens, and the premiere of Batman: The Killing Joke. The second half of our day definitely made up for a shitty first half. Especially the surprise appearances during the Scream Queens panel -- John Stamos! (yes!) and Taylor Lautner.

Saturday

The day we did everything in our power not to wait in any lines. We went to a bunch of smaller panels like Manga V. Comics, Comics of Tomorrow, Comixology, Vigilante Justice...and my favorite Spotlight on Babs Tarr. If any of you know how big a fan I am of Batgirl of Burnside, you'd know that this panel was a dream. Babs is such a fun and beautiful person and the fact that Brenden Fletcher was the one asking the questions made it even better. We spent quite a bit of time in the Exhibit hall and ran into Mark Sheppard (Supernatural) all by himself and took a couple Snapchats. We also discovered this awesome brand called So-So Happy and bought some adorable dragon hoodies.

(This photo is literally the worst photo ever)

Sunday

We started the day with a little Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) followed by Supernatural. Supernatural always has one of the best panels at Comic-Con. The chemistry between everyone is amazing! 24: Legacy and Prison Break weren't my cups of tea. The last panel of the day was... Pokemon Go! I felt like the whole week was just leading up to that panel. Chris Hardwick is Team Mystic so everything felt right with the world. It was fun hearing from the creator of the game, though we were all bummed that no rare Pokemon were released in the hall. I then had a full-on anxiety attack in the exhibit hall, which was slightly embarrassing. I was crying and my ears were ringing in the middle of about 50,000 people. We ended our trip with a drive through San Diego to find great Mexican food and ice cream.

I look forward to another year of Comic-Con next year. Hopefully, the Regular Show will be better represented next time around!

(I lied, this may be the worst photo ever...what is going on with my hair?!)

Taking A Short Break

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Hi, everyone! You may wonder why I haven't been blogging much lately. Honestly, I'm just feeling burned out. Posting every day/almost everyday can be exhausting. I want to be creating content for you that I'm excited about. I will be taking the next two weeks off from blogging. I will be working on new content, but not with the pressure to be posting every single day. We have Comic Con coming up and then are moving a few days after. There are a lot of changes that I can't wait to share with you...when the time is right. I hope you choose to keep up with me on social media and through my podcast these next few weeks! I look forward to honing in one the direction of this blog. Thank you so much for keeping up with me!

xo Lindsey

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Wine Thirty Snapchat: Wine30Podcast

Las Vegas Trip!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

This past Sunday, Andrew & I headed out for a surprise trip to Las Vegas. Andrew had no clue where we were going on our trip and this was my special surprise for him. We took an early morning flight and arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 am. I thought that taking an early flight would be great because we would essentially get another full day. What I didn't take into account is how exhausted we would be after having to get up at 2:30 am. We dropped off our luggage at the hotel and headed to the Cosmopolitan for coffee. The excitement I had the first time I had entered the Cosmopolitan a few years back was gone. When did it all start looking so cheap? Anyway, the coffee was delicious.

We then headed to Paris for brunch in the Eiffel Tower. We ordered mimosas, a cheese plate, eggs benedict, and french toast. My french toast was literally 3 inches thick and filled with banana cream. It was amazing! Andrew wasn't quite as impressed with his eggs benedict. At the end of the meal we bought a couple shots of espresso...at $8 a shot! What?! I don't know if I have ever spent more than $3.50 for a shot of espresso.

We gambled and shopped a little and Andrew upgraded his iPhone. We hit up Jardin at Encore at the Wynn for dinner. Holy $h*t, I'm so glad I made reservations here. Not only was I in love with the food (soft rib raviolis, ftw!) and cocktails, but the decor was absolutely stunning. The Wynn is my current favorite hotel and this restaurant is a must. Yes, we even took a selfie in the restaurant - totally out of character for us.

We upgraded our hotel room and ended up with pink mood lighting and a TV in our bathroom mirror. We went to SushiSamba our second night for sushi and cocktails. Their mojito was one of the first cocktails I tried (before I turned 21 -- shhh!) and it was fun to go back and try them again.

On day 3, we checked out Gordon Ramsay's Burgr and then went to Cleo at the SLS for dinner. The burger was slightly underwhelming, but Cleo was a real surprise. I love Mediterranean food and they did it so well. The decor there was brilliant, as well. My whole trip was obviously about the food.

On the last day, we went to Flour & Barley and liked their cocktails and pizza so much that we went there twice during the day. The last day was also our zip lining day. I hate heights, but sucked it up because it's something I knew Andrew would want to do. We almost didn't get to ride because of the high winds (oh, darn!) but they ended up calling us as soon as the wind died down enough. It was absolutely terrifying and my legs felt like jello.

We got home late last night & while we had a fantastic trip, I'm glad to be home. We've decided that we need a lot more little vacations in our life. It was great to relax and unwind for a few days. Now, only a little over a month until we go to San Diego for Comic-Con! Let me know where your favorite places to go in Vegas are & be sure to check out our special Vegas episode of the Wine Thirty podcast!

Milestones

Saturday, June 4, 2016

What an insane couple of days!

I finally hit 100 blog posts! I'm amazed that I've stuck with this and have gotten so far. With several million page views under my belt, I feel so blessed that my audience continues to grow and I'm able to make more and more connections with all of you. The blogging community is so positive and uplifting. I've found that blog chats on Twitter have been extremely motivating and help to inspire me when I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I'm still learning what works for me and my blog and am still honing in on my voice.

Our podcast hit 1 million listens! Yesterday our podcast hit 1 million listens, which I still can't really fathom. Our first episode was posted less than three weeks ago and we're already doing better than I thought we would in a year. We're finally starting to get into a groove and we're happy to have several guests in the works. We also now have a podcast snapchat (WINE30PODCAST). We're on iTunes, Google Play, & SoundCloud and are growing by the day.

For those of you that haven't heard about my podcast - I have a podcast called Wine Thirty with my boyfriend Andrew. We crack open a bottle of wine every episode and chat about hot topics for 30 minutes. It's a fun little listen that keeps getting better.

*This photo belongs to iheartyoucoffee.com*

I have been watching Plan With Me videos on Youtube all day today and have now added over 80 planner sticker collections to my wishlist on Amazon. I'm thinking of posting weekly blog posts with my planner designs for the week. I'm not really a Youtuber, so I think this will be a great way to share my creations with you guys.

I've also been doing the Blogilates June calendar and it's been kicking my butt! And my abs...and my legs! I'm pumped about getting into tip top shape this summer! I have a deal with Slim Quick Pure, which I'll be sharing about weekly with you on social media. I'm hoping to crack down and get back down to 125 pounds - dropping about 2.2% body fat.

What milestones and goals are you working towards or have you recently hit.

Let me know!

Look Who's Stepping Up Their Decor Game...

Friday, June 3, 2016

The past few months I have grown more and more impressed with Target's collaborations when it comes to home decor. The kid's decor is especially on point. Today, my sister and I were shopping and gave in to a super cute French Bull teepee and Pillowfort throw pillow for my niece. I received a text earlier that said:

Ahhhhhh!!!! I can't believe it!!!!! Love, Elly

It's pretty safe to say that Elly is loving the new items too. Pillowfort, French Bull, and Oh Joy! are three of my current obsessions and I wanted to share some of my favorite decor items with you. I'm in the midst of decorating my chick pit and there will definitely be a lot of these items in my space!

Let me know your favorites by commenting below or by tweeting me @linelizabeth89!

PILLOWFORT