{photo editing tips + tricks}

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 xoxostacybLeave a comment

Dress | Heels | Sunnies | Earrings (on sale)| Clutch (similar)

One question I get asked all the time? What I use to take my photos and how I edit my photos. I’ve been meaning to write this post for sometime…decided today is the day! Ha! Here are some tips + tricks that I’ve picked up from other bloggers along with lots of trial and error.

Before we get started……I strictly use my iPhone 8 Plus. I go back and forth from portrait mode to regular photo mode. Back in December, I purchased a preset and I’ve been using it ever since.

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{black friday // best sales}

November 23, 2018 xoxostacybLeave a comment

I’ve rounded up all the top sales + promo codes to get you the best bang for your buck! You know I’m a sucker for a good deal!

And I want to thank you all who purchase items from my blog + links I provide. I make a very small commission which keeps me on the hunt for ALL THE THINGS to share with you ❤️ happy shopping!

Abercrombie: 50% off entire store for “club members” Kids 40% off. FREE SHIPPING on all orders! Become a club member and get $10 off!

American Eagle: 40% off + FREE SHIPPING. Flannels are $25 too!

Anthropologie: 30% off!!

Express: 50% off everything + FREE SHIPPING!

Free People: 50% off select items + FREE SHIPPING!

GAP: 50% off everything! Use code: BLKFRIDAY

J.Crew: 40% off! Use code: TOGETHER

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blogger · Decor · fashion · Food · foodie · friday · Halloween · home · jcrew addict · ootd · Outfit Details · Products · Pumpkin · sale · ShopStyle · Trader Joes

{friday 5}

September 21, 2018 xoxostacybLeave a comment

Okay, so this week was weird. But, I woke up this morning and instead of thinking how not-so-good it was. I started thinking of all the good things that happened. To me. Around me. With me. And I gotta say. It wasn’t really all that weird/bad after all. I could list at least 5 things right now. What ONE good thing that made you smile this week? Mine – watching my daughter spot me at her volleyball game Tuesday afternoon. She was scanning the bleachers. I could tell she was looking for me. Our eyes met and she shot me the biggest smile ever. Happy that I’m able to sneak out of work early to be there ♥

Weekend plans: This evening we’re headed downtown on a double date with some friends. Gonna drink some beerz, maybe some chard. Who knows…I’m still debating on my drink choice for the night. BIG decisions people, big decisions! Bay’s going to her first middle school dance…I die! The rest of the weekend we’re spending with our favorite Hostert girls in Salinas. Apple pickin’ (photo ops + all the apple recipes to come) and an outdoor play in Carmel are on the agenda. Probably going to drink too much wine and talk poor Nicole’s ear off too. But, she loves me so it’s okay.

ONE – Fall color scheme // Orange + white + green. Brought to you by good ol’ Trader Joe’s. You guys, they have the best pumpkins. Gotta give Sarah P a shout out for this one. I’ve been waiting patiently for the TJ’s pumpkin patch to arrive. I even called Monday and Tuesday. Fall arrived on Wednesday. Runnnn don’t walk and get all the things ASAP. They sell out so quick. I’m going back today to pick up a leaf wreath and pumpkin pancake mix. Back to the colors…this is what I’ll be sticking with for my front porch and dining room table. Still working on it, but hopefully I can share all the details next week!

TWO – Madewell Sale // Madewell rarely has a sale and they just extended the sale one more day. Today is the last day to scoop up some great pieces.

Use code: HEARTEYES for 25% off!

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blogger · Decor · fashion · home · kid style · mom & me · Nordstrom · ootd · Outfit Details · Random shit · ShopStyle

{i gave up shopping for 30 days…kinda}

September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 xoxostacyb2 Comments

Shop everything here: Garment Rack + details

Sorry for the bit of radio silence yesterday, it has been a crazy week. I worked on this post and just flat-out ran out of time. Some posts take a hell of a lot longer to write than others.

Today is the day. The day I’ve been looking forward to for 30 days. Can you guess why?

My spending freeze has come to an end!!!

You can read more about my {spending freeze} here.

Yesterday, actually. (Remember this post is a day late)

I had originally planned to spend my beloved lunch break at the one, the only, Target. I have been in the store ONCE in the last 30-days. And it was only to pick up an order for Bay. Not me.

But, my homegirl Sarah P posted that Trader Joe’s FINALLY got their pumpkins. Detour! I ended up spending an entire hour stacking pumpkins and sending Sarah pictures. Because my indecisive ass can’t make big decisions like this alone.

Proof – Just like Rachel Hollis preaches, when you give something up for 30 days, your relationship with said item, forever changes. I truly believe this! Not like I’m never going to shop again. But, it wasn’t the first thing I did. Which is shocking as shit!

Now today, shit. Today is a different story. Once I had time to really gather ALL THE THINGS that I’ve had my eye one, I pulled the trigger on another J.Crew order. Ha!

On Monday, August 20th the hardest 30-days even began. I kept a little journal…..

I’m not going to lie. I cheated a littttle bit. In my defense, I had NO fucking clue how hard not shopping would actually be. I mean, I gave up booze for 30-days. So, this should be cake, right? NEGATIVE!

August 20th – What the FUCK Madewell? Promo codes on my first day of a shopping freeze? Alex called and rubbed it in a little. It burned..lol.

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blogger · Community · Cooking · Cool spots · Decor · family · fashion · friday · friends · jcrew addict · ootd · Outfit Details · Products · weekend

{weekend notes}

September 10, 2018September 17, 2018 xoxostacyb9 Comments

After a week off (kinda) it feels so good to type the words….Happy Monday! We’re back in action over here at xoxostacyb. What I mean by kinda is…I was busy working behind the scenes. Updating. Upgrading. Adding. Condensing. The BIG questions is….

What do you think of the changes? New layout. My personal ShopStyle link has been added to the sidebar on a desktop. Bottom if you’re using a phone. Just like the LIKEtoKNOW.it. You can shop everything from outfit details #ootds, products and home items. Basically, if I rock it or love it, you’ll be able to find it here. Click on the link on my blog or in my instagram bio, click “shop my looks” and direct links will be right at your fingertips. If you purchase something through my ShopStyle, I make a (very) small commission. So help a sister out…lol. Currently still adding items, so bear with me.

Another change….recent posts, Archives and Categories have been condensed and now offer a scroll down.

And you’ll likely notice there are now advertisements. Sorry! I know it’s annoying, but it is what it is.

Don’t forget you can always subscribe and receive an email every time I publish a new post. Go to Follow Blog Via Email. Type in your email address. Click FOLLOW. And you’re all set!

My new goal is to keep it simple. So although this is quite wordy, you’ll be seeing daily posts. Weekly reviews. Friday 5 and all the same xoxostacyb topics. Just in smaller scale.

So, I’m dying to know. What do you think? Comment below. On Instagram. Facebook. Let me know what you think of the changes.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program……

Intentions for the Week:

delete photos – (so satisfying lol)
plan a family dinner – (schedulded)
smog my car – (done√)
lunch date – (The Grad…cant remember the last time)
drink #hella water – (and pee all day long)
take a hike
find the perfect 2019 planner/calendar – (now I have to wait till Wednesday to order lol)
go apple picking
bust out all the Fall decor – (we’re half way there)
celebrate Mom’s big 6-0 – (love that lady)
mask + mani night with Bay – (our weekly thing)
register for 2018-2019 4-H – (It’s that time of year again)
phone date with Stover – (always feels good to catch up with a homie)

Highlights from the weekend…….

I have to stop and thank all these pretty ladies right here. They all showed up and supported and gave me all the feels. So grateful for great friends + family to share life with! Love you bitches!!!

So Friday we all met at Sarah P’s home. Her gorgeous home. We drank wine. Lots of wine. We snacked of pretty food. Like this grazing platter below. I whipped this bad boy up in about 5 minutes. Candied walnuts, crackers, rosemary, dried apricots, brie wedge, olive tapenade, honey comb and prosciutto.

We talked, a lot. The room was so full of laughter…it made my heart crazy happy!

We hit First Friday to check out bella moda boutique and Serendipity Boutique. Personally, my favorite shops on Main Street.

Once I’m off my spending freeze, I’ll be buying this Tequila Por Favor tank!!!

And this succulent skull!!!

We took my Mom and her bestie, Ronda to The Stag. My Mom, born and raised in this town has never been to The Stag. So, we changed that real quick.

I can’t thank Sarah P for opening up her home and hosting all of us! Love you homegirl!!

Happy Dance!

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blogger · Products · Random shit · Summertime

{what’s in my bag}

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 xoxostacyb5 Comments

Women’s purses are basically mini suitcases. I’m always so amazed when I see a blogger share what’s in her bag. It’s click bait when I see an image of all her prized possessions strewn across the table. I gotta know…ha! At the ripe age of 36 I currently ONLY carry a tote. AKA the black hole of no return. I can never seem to find the shit I need, but I know damn well it’s in there somewhere. You never know what you’re gonna need, #amiright? And I, for one, would much rather be overprepared than unprepared.

So without further ado….

What’s in my bag!!

I’m not even about to show you what’s in my wallet though. That’s a whole new post in itself!

BAG // The Drawstring Transport Tote I’m in love with ALL Madewell totes. They are all I’ve used for the last maybe 5 ish years. Great durable bags. And I love that the leather ages with wear.

WALLET // MICHAEL KORS ‘Jet Set’ Leather Travel Wallet I admit, I am a total weirdo about my wallet. It has to be a zip-around. With lots + lots of compartments. Before I bought this Michael Kors, I rocked a gigi hill from back in the day. Remember when that was the “it” wallet to have? You were a nobody if you didn’t have a gigi hill.

PLANNER // ban.do design Bando 12 Month Planner Raise your hand if you still use a paper planner? I am a loyal paper planner gal. I refuse to use my phone. And I wont remember shit if I don’t write it down. I don’t leave the house without this bad boy. I wrote about it here: {planning for 2017} + here: {baby, write this down….}

ORIBE // ORIBE Dry Texturizing Spray This shit is GOLD! Costs about the same as gold too. HA! This product is the ONLY thing that gives my thin flat hair any kind of life. Read one of the 1,200 reviews and give it a shot. You’ll thank me BIG time for this one 🙂

STAMPS // Always have at least one floating around in my purse. Although, I rarely use them. I’m about 95% online bill pay at this point. I write 2 checks each month. But you never know when you’ll need to send a love note or thank you to a homie!

$2 BILL // For good luck, that’s all.

PHOTO // I carry a Polaroid of my girl. Just in case I miss her ♥

NOTE PAD // Bay gave me this cute don’t forget sticky pad.

COLOGNE // Jo Malone English Oak & Hazelnut Cologne Did I tell you I started wearing men’s cologne? Technically Jo Malone is unisex but this new English Oak & Hazelnut smells just like a man and I’m kind of obsessed. I get women telling me how good I smell all the time. Ha!

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blogger · Gossip · instagram · Random shit

{things I’m afraid to tell you}

July 26, 2018July 26, 2018 xoxostacyb15 Comments

Every now and again I get a message that starts with something like: “your life is so perfect” or “how do you have your shit together all.the.time”

Ha! Let’s be real…..I DON’T!!!

I mean, who does?

I’m not living in a life full of unicorns and rainbows. I’m a mother, a single mother at that. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Girlfriend. Full-time worker. Blogger. Volunteer.

Life is hard.

I like to think I’m pretty much an open book. Although, I tend to share things I enjoy. Things I dig. Pretty things. Who wants to post or chat about their flaws on social media? The internet judgement committee is already working overtime, I personally don’t want to give them any fuel.

The idea of this post is to step out of my comfort zone and perfectly curated + filtered instagram photos and tell you some shit that I don’t post about!

So, here we go. Things I’m afraid to tell you! Some of my dirty little secrets……

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blogger · California · Cool spots · Inspiration · instagram · Summertime

{park winters summerland}

July 19, 2018July 19, 2018 xoxostacyb1 Comment

Dear Park Winters,

Can we do it all over again?

xoxo stacyb

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blogger · Community · Cool spots · fashion · friday · kids · Outfit Details · Summertime · weekend · Wine

{friday 5}

June 29, 2018 xoxostacyb1 Comment

It’s finally FRIDAY! You guys, I knew it was happening, I let it happen. Last week was a complete shit show. HA! I planned it that way, of course. But, hot damn – I’m exhausted. Straight up overstimulated! I cannot wait to put my butt on the beach + enjoy the weekend with my family!!

But, first – I got some stuff on my mind……

ONE – Park Winters Summerland // Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Park Winters Summerland. My first influencer event. It was nothing short of magical! Great people. Amazing vendors. Delicious cocktails (still devastated I wasn’t able to stay for dinner) Beautiful venue! I’ll be sharing more next week! BIG THANK you Park Winters for inviting little ol me 🙂

And I absolutely LOVED all the messages saying “yay, you wore the dress” it reassures me you guys actually read what I write 🙂 And yes, I had to wear THE dress!

Striped Ruffle Maxi Dress

TWO – Mrs. Chase Letter // I finally got to cleaning out all the end of school year paperwork and whatnot. Digging through papers, I found an envelope addressed to Bailey. She opened it. Read it. Tears rolling down her cheeks. Then I read it. Also with tears rolling down my cheeks. What a great reminder of how much we LOVE Plainfield Elementary School + Mrs. Chase, Bay’s kindergarten teacher 7 years ago! #plainfieldmustang forever ♥

THREE – Seka Hills Fireworks // My second time visiting Seka Hills this week!!! Such a treat! Last night was the annual Seka Hills Family. Fun. Food. Fireworks. 💥 It’s exactly that. All our friends. Arts + Crafts for the kids. A photo booth even. Chando’s Tacos…yumm! And for the grand finale, the best firework show in our area!

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Adventure · blogger · California · family · friends · Holidays · instagram · mom & me · Random shit · travel · weekend

{lets reminisce 2017}

January 3, 2018 xoxostacybLeave a comment

Happy 2018! I hope your year is off to a great start. I’m working on goals and all the health + fitness shit that comes with the new year. But how about 2017? Bay + I looked back at photos the other night and laughed and talked about all the good times we had. Adventures. Life stuff. Friends + family.

Before we start talking 2018, lets reminisce 2017 for a minute……

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