Happy Holidays 2014

I had more things planned for the blog and for YouTube before Christmas but time just got away from me and instead of stress about it all I'm just going to call it and unplug from the internet for a few days. I have the tendency to completely checkout while looking at my phone when Dave is home because there is someone else to watch Rivers and I really don't want to do that over the break. I also get really into taking the perfect picture for Instagram I don't want to worry about that and just be free of it all.David rarely takes off a large chunk of time and I just want to really relax and enjoy it with him. Because at the end of it all who really cares about the visually flow of your Instagram?? Perspective is what I'm all about this Holiday season and sleep and pomegranates because heaven help us if I will be fooled again into thinking those are a all year long treat!! ANYWAYS.....

So this will be my last blog post and video for the new year, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and take advantage of the time spent with the people you love!

You can check out my last vlogmas here.

How To Winterize Your Nails

Julep asked me to create a little tutorial on getting your nails ready for winter and it was perfect timing too because I had already been working on such a post. They have some specific products you can check out for winterizing your nails that make the process much easier. But my favorite are the actually nail polishes and they have some great color choices for winter. 

Building a Wardrobe// Part 2

I'm so excited to be continuing on with this series! You can read part one (here)  Like I said in my previous post we are learning how to build a wardrobe together. I try something and then I share it here.

If you're wanting to build a more solid wardrobe I'm guessing you had the same problem I did. You have A LOT of clothes but nothing goes together. You've got a million different styles in your closet and you buy whatever and whenever.

The first thing I did was purge my closet. I got rid of probably 90% of all the items I never wear, I wish I could have gotten rid of more but financially I couldn't go and replace everything. I also wasn't emotionally ready to get rid of all of it either.

So after the big purge I like doing "baby purges" and this has helped a ton. By removing items from your closet and simple storing them somewhere else you're letting the items go mentally, teaching yourself you don't actually need them, and allowing yourself to see what your closet really needs.

The idea is that whatever is left hanging in your closet are all the items you actually wear on a regular basis. You cannot create a new wardrobe until you can really see what you are needing, and you cannot really see what you are in need of with a closet filled to the brim.

How to PURGE:

1. The Baby Purge: Create 3 sections to put your clothes into. One to keep, one to store, and one to donate/sale.

2. Go through your closet and divide the entire thing into those sections. I'm serious take out every single item and put it in a section.

3. Put the donate/sale pile into a bag and get it out of sight.

4. Now look again at section 1 & 2. Are you keeping too much? Should you put more in storage? The items going back into your closet should be items you wear regularly. Even if it's not an item that you want as part of the finale wardrobe, you need stuff to wear while you collect your new pieces.

5. Create a space for the items that are going to be stored for a few months. You want them out of sight, do not put these back on the hanger or in your dresser. I store mine under the bed in a slide out drawer. But you could put them in a box in your closet or hall or kitchen. Just get them out of sight.

6. Put the rest of the items in your closet. After all this you should have significantly less in your closet, unless you have an insane amount of clothing to go through. You know your closet and you know your limits. Do what you can.

7. Pick a time frame to go back and do this whole process again. I chose 3 months, but if you want more time take more. If you want to get this done faster do less. It's up to you!

8. 3 months later (or whatever time you chose) go back and look at the stored items first. Hopefully you will realize you never wear those items and you will just donate them.

9. Then go through your closet again. Do steps 1-8.

While I probably sold half of my closet on Instagram a few months back there is still a lot of work to be done with getting rid of the old, but there is even more work with bringing in the new. So really it's all  a balancing act

Prepping your closet for Winter

Growing up in Texas the weather didn't change too much so my wardrobe stayed pretty consistent. I would add a coat in the winter and take it out in the summer. But after having lived in the colder weather for over 6 years I know how important it is to rotate your closet during seasons.

To prep my closet for winter I first make sure I have a place to store all my summer clothing. Then I begin to take out and sort my summer clothing, I make a pile to store and a pile to donate. I then bring in all my winter items back into the closet to replace the summer items and put those summer items in storage. Pretty simple but can make a huge difference.

By only keeping the current seasons items in your closet you will have more room to store it all and this will making getting dressed much easier. Half of your closet will not be dedicated to items that aren't appropriate for that season, and you can pick and choose quickly what to wear.

Basic Series//Tinted Moisturizer

I was watching a friends video the other day and came to realize that I had been using a beauty product all wrong! I couldn't believe that I had owned this item for over a year and had never learned how to use it correctly.

Then I had another experience where I was at Target with a friend and I said I was looking for a new concealer to try and she literally said she didn't even know how to use canceler or what it was used for. I was blown away!

It made me think, how often do we buy a new makeup product just because it's popular but we don't actually know how to use it. Or we are told in makeup tutorials that we should be using certain products but we don't really know why and maybe there are some of us out there that truly don't know what concealer is and we need a basic intro in something as simple as that.

So I've decided to start a basic series where I can explain the basics of beauty products, from the new and popular to the old and trusted.

I made my first video in the series about Tinted Moisturizer because I feel like it is still fairly new and everyone seems to be using Tinted Moisturizer over foundation these days.

In this video I talk about three things. 1. What is tinted moisturizer. 2. How does it compare to BB creams and foundation. and 3. How to apply it.

Beauty Favorites

Hello!! Sorry I have been awful about posting my videos on the blog this week! I have two new videos up and they are both about my beauty favorites. First are the items I have been loving through the month of November and second is a video of my top drugstore beauty items.

Advent Calendar // Christmas 2014

Every year we basically use our Advent Calendar as our Christmas Bucket List, each day is different activity we wish to do over the Holiday Season. Some are simple like getting Starbucks hot chocolate or driving around to see christmas lights while others are more time involved like sledding in Park City.

Inspired by Oh Happy Days simply advent calendar I created this with treat bags, washi tape, string, and number tags from Ikea. I used watercolor paper to write down all of our Christmas Bucket List activities and then sealed each bag shut with more washi tape. It probably took me about 30 minutes to put together and then another 20 to get it all hung up.

Here are some activities we have awaiting for us this Christmas;

• Visit Temple Square to see the Lights. 
• Perform a random act of service. 
• Decorate a mini tree for Rivers room. 
• Write a gratitude letter to Jesus.
• Make Grandmas Sugar Cookies
• Craft a Christmas star and talk about first star. 
• Meet Dad downtown for a fancy dinner. 

Mini Donuts// A last minute act of gratitude

 Here is a last minute treat to show your gratitude for a friend, loved one, or neighbor. A small act of service before the Thanksgiving holiday is officially over. And what could be better than saying thanks with mini donuts? Nothing. Nothing is better than mini donuts. Unless of course you I bought the container and bags at Zurchers and I have a free download for the little tags. These would even make a great little favor if you're hosting thanksgiving, or a sweet treat for the hostess who's home you're attending.

Free Download for tags here. 

Recipe from Baker Bettie 
For the donuts

• 5 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

for the topping

• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly oil mini donut pan and set aside (alternatively you can use mini muffin pans)
2. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until just combined (mixture will look curdled).
3. Add in the baking powder and the salt and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the flour just until combined. You don't want to overmix this batter.
4. If using mini donut pan, transfer mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or into a ziplock baggie with the tip cut off. Pipe into the pan only filling ½ of the way fill. If using the mini muffin pan, fill each well ½ full
5. Bake at 325ºF for 8-10 minutes. *If using a mini donut maker, bake for 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool just slightly before dipping in topping.
6. Melt the butter for the topping and combine the cinnamon and sugar. Dip each donut lightly in butter then roll in cinnamon and sugar.

Building a Wardrobe // Part I

For over a year I have been fascinated with the idea of building a wardrobe and setting a specific style for myself. I realized that even though I had a lot of clothes none of them really worked with each other, every item was it's own thing and there were multiple different styles living in my closet.

When I went out to shop I had a hard time knowing what to buy. But with a wardrobe wouldn't I already know what my closet was lacking? Items coming into my closet would fulfill a need and they would work with the group. Every outfit would essentially have the same vibe, the same feel.

To some this may sound boring but to me it's fascinating, to me it's what a style should be.

I want my style to be more defined I want to really know my style, what are the key words and phrases that define my style. What are the colors and energy of my style. How nice would it would to have a closet filled with beautiful thought out pieces instead of a crammed closet full of pieces you don't really want and none of them really go together.

I don't really have answers as to how to go about all this. This isn't a post of step by step guidelines but more just starting the discussion of it. I think it would be more beneficial to go through it together as I am learning for myself instead of coming at you with a ton of information and discoveries.

I know this is not a project I will finish over the course of a few months, rather I feel like it will take me years. I need the time to do trial and errors on my style, I need time to purge the old and buy the new. To start over if it goes bad...

A few months back I took the first step by purging my closet so next week I will be sharing what I did and how it went. I can't wait to really start this and to share it with you all.

Family Pictures 2014

As usually I tried really hard to narrow it down to just a few shots because I really could have posted them all. This shoot was put together super last minute we threw together outfits we already had and I was literally painting over my purple nails as we pulled up to the park. But oh my you would never have never known that be looking at these pictures!

Guys Stephanie is a dream to work with!! We did a mini session at Salt Lakes Liberty Park and I cannot believe how many good shots she got in such a short amount of time. She really knows her stuff especially with the posing! She wastes no time messing around and throws you right into making you look your best. Her energy is addictive and her passion for what she does spills out of her! If you haven't called this girl you need to!!

Go Check out her site! http://stephaniehitchins.squarespace.com

3 Easy Tricks for Flawless Lipstick

Since my last video was all about my favorite drugstore lipsticks I thought I would share my simple tips for applying lipstick. I also have a bonus video coming later for those of you with bigger lips and feel weird about putting so much color on your face, also a good tip for making a glossy lipstick look matte. Thanks for watching and all the support so far it really means a lot!

5 Drugstore Lipsticks for Fall

We've all been there! Spending hours in the Target beauty section trying to sneak on a coat or two of a lipstick we are hoping will look good, peeling back the stickers and attempting to remove the plastic wrapping that screams DON'T TRY ME ON! Then theres always the other girl the one who keeps getting in your way trying to do the same kind of trickery making the both of you look very obvious! Ughh!

Needless to say buying drugstore makeup can be overwhelming and extremely frustrating! With so many different brands to choose from and so many different types of lipstick with in one brand I usually leave Target with my head spinning and with a product I have no idea if I'm going to love!

So I've narrowed it down for you, I always find it helpful to see what others have bought and liked taking the guessing out of it. After a few years of playing the drugstore game I have found 5 different shades of lipstick for Fall. The best part is half of these shades I wear in the summer as well! I hope this helps make your drugstore lipstick hunt a little easier!

Get Ready With Me // Date Night

A couple weeks ago we had a random date night set up for a Tuesday night, it was a total surprise to me I didn't know where we were going until that morning. I thought it would be fun to take you guys along with me through getting ready and the date. We don't get to go out a lot just the two of us so when we do we like to switch it up and try new things especially places that aren't so baby friendly and Bodega, the restaurant we went to, was the perfect place for just that. 

I posted about our date night on instagram the next morning and if you follow me there you know a little bit about the resturant we went to already. When you walk into Bodega it looks just like a regular restaurant. Small bar in the corner a few tables and chairs, street tacos and small appetizers to eat. What you don't realize is that there is a door behind the bar that takes you downstairs into a full blown restaurant. I don't want to ruin it for anyone in case you haven't gone because it's such a neat experience not knowing what to expect and seeing it for the first time.

The restaurant downstairs is actually called "The Rest" and was designed after the speakeasies from back in the day and guys it does not disappoint, the energy is awesome and you feel like apart of this secret club and the food is amazing as well.

In order to eat at "The Rest" you have to make a reservation in advance I took a small amount of footage in the "libary" and bathroom but other than that I left it a big secret because it's so much more fun that way! Enjoy the video! If you end up going please come back and let me know what you thought! 

Lush Haul

 I discovered Lush shortly after getting pregnant and their bath bombs became my biggest pregnancy indulgence and post pregnancy life safer! After a long exhausting day of being a mama a Lush Bath Bomb is my favorite way to relax and unwind. I took a trip to Lush last month to check out their Holiday limited edition items and walked out with a few more things than I bargained for.

Here is a little bit more detail on the items I got it for this Haul:

1. So White Bath Bomb:
Getting right to it I would not buy this bomb again. If you're going to try only a few holiday bombs this year this would not be the one. While it was relaxing and peaceful and the smell was lovely I didn't feel like the smell was as strong as I would have hoped. Since I hadn't actually used the bath bomb when I filmed this video I didn't realize that the center was pink and there is a cream and tartar in the bomb giving your bath a little bit of bubbles. So that was a nice surprise.If you've used it let me know what you thought a lot of people love it and I guess it's a fan favorite so maybe it was just me.

2. Breath of Fresh Air:
I've been using this for awhile and I am in love, it's so refreshing to spritz yourself with a "breath of fresh air" right after you've cleansed your face in the morning or right before bed. I mostly bought this to assist the the moisturizer but I would suggest buying it on it's own if you wanted. Lush suggest putting in the fridge for an even fresher feel or using it while flying or at work.

3. Cleansers:
Lush is awesome with their samples, I walked out with 3 large samples of some of their cleansers.
Angels on bareskin is by far my favorite I feel like it cleanses my skin while still leaving it mosturized. Let the good times roll was too oily feeling for me but was a great exfoliator and I wasen't the biggest fan of Buche De Noel I feel like they wanted a special holiday cleanser so they put this out but it's nothing fancy and not worth the trouble, I feel like angels on bareskin is very similar and you would be much happier with that.

 4. Celestial moisturizer:
I originally bought this because I felt like my old moisturizer was making my skin break and I needed something new with less chemicals. For those main reasons this moisturizer is doing a great job I feel like it's healing my skin and I love that it's a natural product. I feel like this is a totally personal preference because there isn't anything particularly "bad" about this moisturizer I just don't love it. The great thing about Lush is that if you don't like something you can return it no matter how you've used.

So there you have it my first YouTube haul and first lush haul! Let me know if there is a holiday item you are wanting to try I am planning on doing another Lush Haul closer to Christmas all about their holiday items! 

Welcome Back

Hello! Welcome back to A Fancy Day! I’ve swept off the cobwebs, got a new look and am excited to finally be sharing with you what I’ve been working on the past couple months.

As I've expressed before I had a really hard time after my baby boy was born. It felt like a part of me was gone and I didn’t know where it was or if I wanted it back. Almost 18 months after having my baby I feel like I can look back and see that it was all just postpartum hormones and a little depression blocking my way.

I had to make an over night transition from being a student and holding a job to being a full time stay at home mom. While some do this with such grace and ease it was a real struggle for me. It was hard to find a balance between being  myself and being a new mom.

One day I feel like I woke up from the fog and doing my hair and makeup became fun again. I knew I was starting to feel like myself because I was taking the time to get ready. But it was different than before, I needed quick and easy ways to wear  my makeup, and I needed a “mom wardrobe” but all of this still needed to feel like Courtney. Through one of the hardest transitions of my life, I've learned that life is lived in the small day to day moments that add up to the big moments that shape our lives.

Here I am... a year and half later,  I'm feeling inspired to continue on with the blog. I thought about shutting it down because I didn't feel like this blog represented who I was. A Fancy Day has always been close to my heart and just because I've changed and different things are demanded of me doesn't mean I still can't continue being me.

So I'm blogging again along with a new YouTube channel, where I will share basic beauty videos that anyone can benefit from not just moms. I've allowed myself more creative freedom with the blog and I am so excited about the new things I have planned. Go check out the new YouTube channel and I will see you back on Wednesday!

Motherhood

Motherhood was not something that came easy for me, while I loved Rivers from the second I saw him  it was awhile before I felt like this heavy fog had lifted and I was able to see my role as a Mother for what it was. As a new mom I watched so many mothers around me enjoy motherhood, everyday was a joy and blessing to them and I began to question why I wasn't feeling the same.

I dreaded the mornings when David would have to leave us for work, my days were difficult and long, I thought this selfless love and service was suppose to come easy and I felt guilty for not loving it the same, guilty I was blessed with this beautiful baby and not enjoying as I should.  Looking back now I can see it for what it was, hindsight is always easier. I was under a fog and it took much longer than I thought to come out of. At almost 10 months since I had Rivers did I finally start to feel like myself. 

So this day in May 2014 is extra special to me, this Mothers Day I am now able to see my role as a Mother for what it really is. It is not a burden but a gift, everyday that I have to be a mother to this sweet baby boy is a blessing. I am trying to be more grateful for the long days we have together, for the opportunities I have to see him experience things for the first time and for the moments of snuggles and laughter we share. While I struggle with it and am still learning and coming into my own as a mother I've come to realize that this life is made up of moments of joy. Not every second can be blissful and picture perfect and it's through those eyes that  I am understanding Motherhood maybe a tiny bit more.

The City by the Bay

Oh San Francisco how you stole our hearts! I day dream of living underneath your beautiful blue skies and inside your gorgeous walk up apartments, playing with my baby in your luscious parks (the parks! I've never seen a city with better parks!) , then strolling your streets at night after eating a long dinner and soaking your energy all in.

Seriously though there was this energy everywhere we went and it felt like a smaller sunnier New York City. I feel like there isn't that kind of energy in the little suburb of Utah that we live but that's another thing. It was a short trip to the bay, we flew in Friday night and left very early Monday morning. We were able to cross off almost off of the tourist spots in two days, walking everywhere we were able to see a lot more than we would have driving or on a bus.

My  best friend from Idaho now lives a couple hours out of the city in a town called Davis and she with her husband were able to come and play with us on Saturday. Short back story, both of our husbands had cancer at the same time and that kind of stuff really bonds you so it was so great to see her and catch up and actually talk face to face! I condensed a lot of the pictures to fit in this one "small' post, since it was almost three months ago that we went to San Francisco I didn't want to drag it out more than I already have....Ahh!

^^ The palace of fine arts makes you want to fall in love (all over again)^^

^^We didn't actually ride a trolly but they sure are fun to look at.^^

^^We drove down Lombard street like every other tourist there that day. How can you not?^^

^^ Painted Ladies.^^

^^ Ghirardelli square, the history of Ghirardelli is actually pretty cool and his chocolate isn't too bad either. ^^

Thank you for such a lovely time San Francisco, hopefully we will be seeing you soon!