Make a Fashion Book With Blurb

Blurb is a cool company that lets you make books about anything that interests you. And if you’re interested in fashion and style—and love to show it off—making a book of your personal fashion is a fantastic way to capture your sartorial genius for all time. Whether you want it just for yourself, so you can look through your greatest hits, or you’re a bit of an Internet fashionista who wants to make a book to sell, you’ll find these tips pretty helpful:

1. It’s all about lighting. To make your fashion really pop, choose natural light or studio light with a soft box (you can even make one from a lamp and last season’s white t-shirt). If you’re using a flash, you’ll probably want to bounce it or stick a diffusion filter on it.


2. Make a shot list. This is a critical step, and even more important if you are photographing models. Even if your model is just your best friend who owes you a favor, they’ll appreciate it if you know exactly what you want to shoot. Think about the poses you want to capture, the outfits you want them to wear, and the details that you want to highlight in every shot. 

3. White balance (WB). Accurate color and skin tones come from making sure the WB function on your camera is set to your lighting situation. 


4. Choose the right lens/zoom setting. If you’re using a wide angle, you’re going to lose your beautiful lines (and your model may never forgive you). If you have a camera with different zoom levels, zoom out to minimize lens barrel distortion. 

5. Keep it stylish. It’s a fashion shoot, after all. Play music, keep things moving, try new angles. Attitude, attitude, attitude.


6. Dress it up. Make your book as fashionable as the clothing featured in it. Choose a simple design that doesn’t upstage the clothing, but still looks chic. Pick a size and paper type that showcases the work brilliantly.

If you’ve ever paid attention to what’s on the catwalk, you know that fashion means different things to different people. Follow your own fashion obsessions and document them in a fashionable book. If you look good today in person, imagine looking great forever on the printed page with Blurb! Start your Blurb book now and Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ at Blurb.

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Juice Cleanse: Day 26

Well, I'm officially in the final stretch. I've completed 26 days of my 30 day juice cleanse My focus has been on de-cluttering my space and getting back into the swing of going to the gym to workout cardio and weights for my 100 day workout challenge (which started yesterday, btw!).

I feel great. I think I'm still detoxing as well but mainly I feel a shift in my mental and spiritual awareness. Hard to explain, but its happening. I look at my chart I made to tick off each day of the cleanse so I would have a visible reminder of my progress and am still in awe of how far I've come. I remember on Day 9 I was having a hard time visualizing the end. Such a big change, not chewing, not eating just drinking. No pasta, no breads, no candies, no fast food, none of the stuff I've come to love and get addicted to over the years. The next 30 days may actually be the most challenging as that is when the raw transition begins to ease my system back into eating with overloading my body. I actually think I'll do raw for 2 weeks and also incorporate cooked veggies for the next 2 weeks. I am definitely looking forward to some cabbage and collard greens!

The previous 2 days I really didn't have much of an appetite...but today that's all changed! Probably just a phase or something. It did make me a little worried.  To be honest, I have probably reach my limit drinking juices, just tired of it. I started drinking Bolthouse Farms smoothies for a little variety. God Bless the people who juice for 40, 60 days and longer, I tip my hat to them!

4 more days! Excited!

Juice Cleanse: Day 20

I made it to the home stretch, the final 10 days of my 30 day juice cleanse!

First and foremost, I am so proud of myself! This is honestly the first time in a long time that I made a goal that wasn't a professional goal and stuck with it. I started this to cleanse my skin from the inside out to get rid of acne, but I am ending this with a whole new meaning of wellness and outlook on life. Crazy things not chewing can do for you! It's been liberating, really liberating.

I feel free.

I know that sounds super corny, but its the truth. Processed foods, fast foods, junk foods are addictive. Not only are we addicted to the substances in the food but also vulnerable to the commercials that tell us to eat, eat and some more...large portions of foods that are nutritionally dense. It's a cycle. I feel like I've been lied to about a lot of the things that have shaped my eating habits.  I've been spending hours researching and learning more about food, which foods have benefits for the body, what they do, etc... It's been eye opening. Damn near revolutionary.  I've discovered so many fruits and vegetables that I would have never even tried, not to mention eating more of the ones I had ate in the past.  I swear I've drank more fruit and veggies in the past 20 days than I ate the majority of last year. That's the sad truth of the matter. I'm not happy to admit that, but I am happy to say that fruits and especially vegetables will be taking a much larger role in my life going forward. I have this juice cleanse to thank for that.

I realize I was eating unconsciously and just because. I was eating when I wasn't hungry and was eating foods that nutritionally did nothing for me.  I realize that my acne is just a symptom of what's going on internally and the body's way of getting rid of stuff that it doesn't want. Now, I wish the body did that in a way that was less visible, but I guess the visible symptoms are the only way to get our attention.

The Hair!
In other news my hair is FABULOUS!  It's shiny, luscious, appears thicker. I could go on. I'll probably post more about my hair on my other blog Everyday Fabulous.

Acne Update
Skin looks remarkably better. Yes, there are still breakouts that still haven't gone away. So I am hoping over the next 5 days they will eventually realize they are not welcome and dry up and die! LOL. Cleansing out the colon I have realized is helpful with the breakouts. I am ordering a complete colon cleanse kit off amazon so I can start the process of cleansing the colon/liver/kidneys. But I have to start with the colon cleanse first.

I know this may sound strange, but I appreciate my acne now. Now, I don't want it! But I appreciate what it did to signal me to do something to change how I was eating and swap unhealthy habits for healthy ones.

Weight Loss
While I didn't do this cleanse for weight loss, I most certainly will take it! I plan to weigh in later today when I go to the gym. And I didn't weigh in at the start of this since I wasn't doing this for weight loss but only on Day 4 when I went to the gym. So if I dropped some weight from Day 1-Day 3, I don't know. But the last time I weighed in on Day 16. I dropped 21 pounds. Again, not sure what my total is since I didn't weigh in the beginning. That is 21 pounds is weight I never want to find again! It would be safe to say I dropped maybe another 3llbs or so since my last weigh in. I think, from what I've been reading the weight loss slows down in the later part of the fast.

Sauna
My new friend! I used to do the sauna thing often several years ago and I am just starting to get back into it. My gym has a sauna, and I used it for the first time a few days ago.  I plan to go about 2x a week. The sauna helps the detox process and helps release toxins and such through the skin, which is great for my acne.

Health and Wellness
I have a new lease on life it feels like. I am building a health and wellness plan for myself and my family. Lots of things we used to purchase (peanut butter, pasta sauce) I will be making. That's not to say I won't ever purchase peanut butter and pasta sauce again, but those times will be the exception, not the rule.

5k
Once I complete this cleanse, my gift to myself will be to register for a 5k. I am excited about doing something I never did before, so let the training begin! I hope to will complete 3 5K events this year.

Clarity
Everything I've read so far talks about having clarity and soundness of mind in the later days of a cleanse. I really thought that was hogwash because heck, if you're not eating regular foods...what else is there to do other than think? So I thought. This clarity business is real. I welcome it. I feel so ready for what's next and so enthusiastic about designing my life. Designing my life. I like how that sounds.

Soapbox
If you've been thinking about doing a juice cleanse or just eating cleaner, do it. I am by no means the expert and I am sure I didn't do my cleanse "by the book" but its been so worth it. Yes, there were days where I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Now as I have a clear line of sight to day 30 here on day 20 I am so glad I stayed the course.  You can do it, yes you can!

With 10 days to go, I just feel extremely grateful to the events that led me to do this. And to the resolve I had to start and stick with it, especially the first 10 days. I don't even know how to best explain this euphoria. It's so wonderful and I wouldn't have believed anyone if they told me about this unless I experienced it for myself. I am so ready to take on the world and design my life anew.

Wellness and Coupons

My juice cleanse has opened up my eyes to a lot of things. A LOT! Making changes to how I view the overall well being of my family.  I realize now how much crap (processed foods) my family has been eating. Things like Hamburger Helper is devoid of any nutritional value. It's better just to make your own from home. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to throw anyone under the bus if that's what you eat because Lord knows we used to devour that stuff.  I just realized that it doesn't give you anything the body needs to function, just empty calories and other crap that isn't good for you.  If I want empty calories, I'd much prefer something like a cupcake! LOL.

I know that there are a great deal of coupons for stuff that are really just no good. I'll no longer be needed those. Its just a change that I know I have to make for the health and well being of my family. I'm not swearing off any kind of food. I'm not saying I'll never make it again. But it won't be once a week, or once a month. It's becoming about getting more of the "good stuff" in and making healthier choices that are still yummy.

Juice Cleanse: Day 14

I am almost halfway through the juice cleanse. Yes, I'm still going strong!  I had a few days where I was just tired of the taste of juiced veggies, everything just really started to taste like it came directly from the ground (it does) but I knew I have to keep going. I also have asked myself why did I declare 30 day juice cleanse instead of 14 or something else. And the consensus among folks I asked is that it was my intuitive knowing. Simply put, I need 30 days and my body knew it so my mind followed. Whether or not thats true I don't know, but I made a goal and damnit imma stick to it!

Here are a few updates:

Acne - some gross details, you've been warned!
Still here, specifically the left side of my face is broken out pretty bad.  I did (sorry to be gross) take 2 enema's last week which is recommended on a juice fast to cleanse the colon.  I need to do more but due the snow, I'm not going anywhere to get more until the roads are safe.  I have been also taking herbal colon cleanse pills as well.  The idea is that toxins that don't get released from the colon build up and if they aren't released are reabsorbed into the body which can cause breakouts among other things.  My right side of my face cleared up dramatically after the first 2 enema's...which indicates I'm on to something. And since I hadn't been using the bathroom at all since around Day 3, I knew I needed to do something. So I took the first enema at day 9 or 10. So I plan to take them until I think the job is done.  Hopefully this will lead to clear skin along with juicing more berries and green veggies which also help. Which leads me to...

Berries
I started incorporating berries. Since you can't really juice berries, I blend them and strain them and add to whatever I juiced. For lunch today I am doing berries, kale and ginger. I purchased a bag of mixed frozen berries from Target for about $5 (saved a lot with Target Cartwheel, mobile and Target printable coupons, its about $9.99 retail!).  I haven't used a lot of berries, so I am hoping this bag lasts through the end of the week.

Going Organic
I always said the later part of my juice cleanse will feature only organic fruits and vegetables. Which I guess is the "proper" way a juice cleanse should be done. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure that I would be able to even get this far...no offense to myself! LOL. But I just wanted to start, without all the legalistic stuff. I made an investment in a good, but moderate priced juicer (more on that below) and jumped in.  I am going to use up all the fruits and veggies I have now before I go totally organic. So it may be closer to day 20, rather than day 15 before I start this.

Juicer
There are so many juicers out there. I purchased a Black and Decker juicer for $34.99 and its doing its job just fine. I do have to cut up the fruits and such, it doesn't juice them whole. But for the price its worth it.  I probably will get another juicer that is an upgrade in time.  An awesome thing is that the juicer dropped in price about $5 since I purchased it and Amazon gave me the price difference, no problem, no questions! Gotta love that!

Colon, Liver and Kidney Flush
Over the coming days I will be focused on flushing these organs as much as I can. I want to make sure when I come out of the this cleanse, I am clean! LOL. I am actually excited about the process, it really helps me to learn more about the human body and how it works and how it becomes impaired by the stuff we eat.

I think thats it for now, if it seems like I don't update enough on the progress of the cleanse, check out my other blog Everyday Fabulous. I alternate back and forth with progress reports depending on what I'm sharing.

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