Saturday, February 26, 2011

Elle&Blair Jewelry Set!

Hey everyone! As you know, Elle and I are kinda obsessed with Jewelmint! We’ve featured them in several videos because we can’t get over how fun the concept of the site is, and how amazing the jewelry actually is. For those of you who don’t know what Jewelmint is... here’s a quick re-cap: Jewelmint.com is an exclusive site for members only (it’s free to sign up!) and it’s a jewelry club by Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter. When you first sign up, you get to take a really fun style quiz that helps them get to know your personal style and what you wear in day-to-day life... that way they can pick out jewelry for you that you can wear with what you already own and love! If you choose to - you can pay $29.99 each month and they will pick custom pieces to go with your style, you choose your favorite, and they send it to you... FREE SHIPPING! Returns are super easy, but I’m sure you’ll love your item. & I always get asked if you have to return the piece at the end of the month to get a new one - NO! It’s yours to keep forever! You can skip a month if you don’t like any of the jewelry they selected for you and won’t be charged, and you can end your subscription at any time without any hidden fees.
Well, Jewelmint saw how excited my sister and I were about the site... and they asked if we wanted to create an Elle&Blair set. What kind of question is that?! Yes, please!!! They let us pick out our three favorite pieces from the month of February and said we could have an exclusive link to give to you guys where you get ALL three pieces for the price of ONE! That’s $29.99 for three pieces! Typically it would be $109.99 for all of them. (& they’re really adorable pieces.)
This promo only run until Monday night at 12midnight (the last day of February.) You can view it by going to: http://www.jewelmint.com/jewelry/fowler-sister-set
We picked three pieces that could be worn together if you wanted, but could also be split up for an added pop to any outfit. They’re perfect for spring! You get a Blazing Chain Bracelet that goes perfectly with the color-blocking neon hues for spring, and pearl ring pendant that looks kind of antique and Elle and I will be sporting for quite some time, since it will never go out of style. & Amazing Versailles earrings that will add some serious glitz to ANY outfit! The quality of the jewelry is outstanding.
So let me know: do you like the pieces Elle and I paired together for our first ever Elle&Blair set?! What would you wear it with? Can't wait to see what you come up with!

P.S. Thank you Jewelmint for giving Elle and I such an awesome deal to share!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

HELP! I need your opinion...

Hey everyone! I'm so excited because my room is almost ready for a room tour :) All I have to do is hang the curtains, paint the walls, and put up the artwork. Well, if I'm being honest, all I have to do is find someone to help accomplish these tasks. I've been going back and forth on what I want to do about my bed. One picture? Two? Four? I finally decided how I want to decorate above my headboard....
A wall quote! Awesome, right? No. I can't decide which quote to choose. It's not only something that I'll read multiple times a day, but it will be in the background of my videos. I want a fun, cute, inspirational quote. I've narrowed down the list and need your help to pick the winner. Please read the following quotes and comment with your favorite! (You don't have to have a blogspot to be able to comment. Anyone can!)

Quote #1: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain"
I like this one because it's not only inspirational and cute, but I'm someone who likes to have everything planned out. When things don't go by the book or my schedule, I freak. I need to learn to "dance in the rain" or just live in the moment. This quote will definitely remind me to do just that.

Quote #2: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
This is a really common quote, but I think every time I look at it, it will remind me to be a good person and.. to be the change I wish to see in the world! I also think it would look really good in a pretty font over the bed and in the back of my videos.

Quote #3: "Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself."
When I first read this quote it hit me hard. With out getting too into detail, a lot of people have misconstrued thoughts about me. It used to really bother me and I felt the need to defend my every action, every word, every move. I recently learned that I know who I am, and the people I love know who I am. I don't have to constantly prove myself to others. This quote really symbolizes that and I think it could help some other people who are going through the same thing if they catch a glimpse of it in my videos. Everybody is judged by one person or another, but you know who you really are inside.

Quote #4: "Even a small star shines in the darkness"
You don't have to be famous, be the prettiest person in your class, or be the best jock. You don't have to get straight A's, dress the best, or have the most friends. You don't have to be the best at what you do. You just have to have fun doing it! Everyone's important. Everyone needs the same thing. Everyone has feelings. Everyone's a star. I also like this quote cause it's going over a bed.. and you sleep at night with the lights off. "Stars" and "darkness" haha get it? Nevermind....

Quote #5: "A dream is a wish your heart makes"
I love this quote and it's from my moms favorite movie. I now live hundreds of miles away from her, maybe even thousands.. and I miss her. This way I could have a little piece of her with me in my new home. It's also about dreaming, which I think is quite appropriate.

Quote #6: "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today... it's already tomorrow in Australia"
This is obviously the silliest one, but it also reminds us not to live in fear. Something I'm not too good at. I'm a self-proclaimed "scaredy-cat." I think when I look at this quote, it will not only put a smile on my face, but it also symbolizes that everything will be okay.

Quote #7: "We don't remember the days... we remember the moments."
Just like quote #1, it reminds us to live in the moment, in the now. I like #1 better, but I think this may look prettier above a bed and it gets the same message across.

So what do you think?! Comment with your favorite quote number and help me out! The sooner I choose my favorite, the sooner I'll order it, hang it up, and do a ROOM TOUR! Also, feel free to leave your own cute, inspirational quote. Now that you see what I'm looking for, you all may be able to come up with an even better one.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! (To those who celebrate. I know I always say this, but I don't want to offend anyone or assume you all celebrate Christmas.) Today was a wonderful day. It snowed in the middle of the night so we had our first white christmas in quite a few years. It was magical and I couldn't have dreamed of a prettier Christmas. It's now 9:20 PM and this day is almost over. It won't happen again for another 365 days. My life has changed so much in the past 365 days I can't even begin to imagine what I might be blogging about next Christmas Day. All I do know is that I want to still be doing my videos and blogging and interacting with you all. You've changed my life, and I don't know how I could ever repay you. I'm sitting in bed with a new cookbook my grandmother gave me, just flipping through it and marking recipes I'm excited to try with sticky notes, and decided to write a blog post. Today is too important of a day in my life not to share it with you all. So here we go! Here's how my Christmas Day went....
Last night my little sister and I climbed into bed and snuggled up. She kept me up most of the night wondering what Santa was going to bring her. I remember being that young and not being able to sleep the night before Christmas or even stand it! At 6:30 she woke me up again and asked if she had waiting long enough. Considering the fact my family says we can wake up as early as 3 AM, I felt bad and told her to run tell Elle to wake up. As she did that I called Mom and Dad (you have to walk past the living room to get to their bedroom and it's a rule that parents have to be in there before kids can come down.) Mom and Dad made coffee and got Grandmother awake and yelled "Santa came!" Which is our cue to run down the stairs, so we did.

I went straight to my stocking and didn't see a Santa gift, I assumed it was either the iPod or camera I was wanting and may be in the stocking, so I'm dumping everything out of the stocking when mom says, "Blair, do you not see your santa gift?" Noticing my confused look, she pointed behind me to the coffee table where it was set out. Well, I didn't get the iPod nano or digital camera, and I said I wouldn't do a "Christmas Haul" video but I will give you all a little insight into the main items I got.

From Santa I got a pair of sterling silver bow-shaped earrings and matching sterling silver necklace, and also a handbag I've been eying for quite some time. I was so thrilled! Mom said she thought Santa picked that out instead of the iPod since I don't really need one, and I need to pick out my own digital camera (since I'm so picky with my tech gadgets.) This was definitely an unexpected gift and I love all of it so much!

Elle and I then passed out everyones wrapped presents and watched the excitement on everyones face when they unwrapped their pressies! From Elle I got a pair of jeggings and VS yoga pants (THANKS ELLE! I LOVE THEM!) From mom I got a pair of sunglasses and new bathrobe. It's fluffy and pink. It's kind of a tradition that I get a new bathrobe each year. I live in bathrobes if I'm not filming or going somewhere. They're so warm and cozy (THANKS MOM! SUCH AN AMAZING GIFT!) From dad I got an asymmetrical sequin top and scarf. I'm guessing mom went with him to pick them out, because they are very fashion forward and just my style (THANKS DAD! YOU DID A GREAT JOB!) From my little sister I got a pop up portable dog crate, she said it was so I could take Roo and Teddy anywhere with me and they wouldn't run away, and baby tennis balls for the pups since regular ones are too big for them to play with. Mom said my little sister begged her to take her to PetsMart to pick out my gift. (THANKS BABE! YOU COULDN'T HAVE PICKED OUT ANYTHING BETTER! LOVE YOU!) I got a few other small gifts, but these were the main ones.

After opening all the presents I carried mine up to my room then helped mom pick up some of the living room. We're pretty good at throwing away the wrapping paper as we go, but sometimes there's a little left behind. Then I sat with Mom on the couch and talked for 2 hours about anything and everything, and listened to Dad in the background going through his gifts again and squealing at each item. (I swear, he's still like a little kid when it comes to Christmas morning. He was just as excited as my little sister and had more fun ripping the wrapping paper off the presents than any of us. LOL!)
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and spending time with my family. This holiday season has been so amazing! Now, all we have left is New Years Eve then it's back to my normal everyday schedule and consistent videos. I hope all of you had an amazing Christmas day and want to thank you again for your support and kind "Merry Christmas" emails and tweets.

So tell me, what did you do all day? Also, what did you get for Christmas?!

-B

**Images from candlemaking.com , tiffany.com , and workitmom.com

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas Eve!

Hey everyone! First off, Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate :) I was thinking about doing a "Christmas Eve Vlog" on my second channel, but a video usually takes me a few hours at the least (all day at the most) and since today is my favorite day of the year, I decided to spend it with my family. Hope you all don't mind! I feel horrible since I haven't been uploading as many videos as I normally do, but like I said in my last blog post, you all have been so loving and supportive it makes me feel better. After the holidays I'm going to throw myself full force into my videos and it's also one of my top New Years Resolutions! To keep my channel on a consistent schedule of videos so there's never a big gap.

I think lots of people's favorite holiday is Christmas Day, but mine is actually Christmas Eve. (and my birthday!!!) Lots of families and households celebrate Christmas differently, but we have our big meal or "feast" on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. My grandmother ("Blah Blah" and yes, that's the name we call her to her face. Don't judge! LOL) is in town, but other than that we're just with our immediate family. I don't know why my extended family doesn't get together. I have friends who will spend Christmas Eve with one set of grandparents, Christmas morning with their immediate family, Christmas afternoon with the other grandparents, Christmas night with their Aunt's and Uncles... and so on. My family has never been like that. All of my extended family lives far away, the closest are a 6 hour car ride, and they go all the way to Istanbul, Turkey! So it's more stress than fun trying to get everyone together at once.

To me, Christmas Day seems like it's more about the presents. We wake up as early as 3 AM and run into our parents room, then we wait while they go "check to see if Santa came" while they make their coffee. Then they yell "OK girls! He left you a present, come see what it is!" And we run into the living room all excited. I go through my stocking first, then look at the main gift he left me. In my family, Santa fills your stocking, and leaves you one "big gift" but it's never wrapped, and everything else is from our family members wrapped and under the tree. After the initial excitement of Santa, Elle and I start distributing the packages to each family member. Then we take turns opening each present, and then eat breakfast, which is always moms famous egg casserole, which sounds disturbing, but is so delish! After breakfast, we all carry our presents up to our room then go back to sleep. When I was little, I was still too excited to sleep and I would stay up playing with my toys, but now that I'm older I understand why my parents always went back to sleep. 3 AM is early! We spend the rest of the day sleeping, eating leftovers, relaxing, watching a movie, but kinda doing our own thing.

This is why I like Christmas Eve better. First off, the excitement in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife! Especially having a little kid in the household, it makes everything so much more magical. Christmas Eve is all about the excitement and being with the family and wrapping last minute presents (dad likes to get his gifts to us on Christmas Eve. Every year, without fail, he buys it on this day. That's actually where he is right now while I write this post!!! Talk about procrastination....) cooking, baking, eating, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music. Chrismas Eve is just more "family oriented" than Christmas Day, and that's why I like it more! To me, the holidays are just about being with my family. I used to take it for granted more when I lived with my parents, but now that I've moved out I cherish every second I get to spend with them. Mom and dad are both off work during this time of the season and it's just a time for us really to bond and be together as a family.

OH! I also wanted to just touch on this really quickly. Lots of you are requesting that I do a "Christmas Wish List" and/or "Christmas Haul" video, and I just want to go ahead and let you know I won't be doing that this year. All I really wanted for Christmas was to be home with my family, and as a present I'm hoping for either a pink iPod nano, or a digital camera. I have a video camera, flip camera, and a SLR - but I want one of those small digital cameras so I can carry it around with me and snap pictures where ever I am. I've been using my phone, but I find I don't take that many picutres. I used to have a digital camera (RIP) and I would take SO many pictures with it! I want to start adding albums to facebook (my fan facebook is down at the moment because facebook didn't believe it was really me in charge of it.. but it is/was and it's being put back up soon!) So I'm hoping for a either the iPod, or a small hot pink digital camera. & I won't be doing a Christmas Haul cause I feel like that would be bragging and being like, "OMG look what my parents can afford to buy me!" Whereas, I only haul items I purchased with my own money so that I can show you guys that if I love it enough to spend my own money on it, you probably would too!

So I just wanted to do this quick blog post to say Merry Christmas Eve! This year has been the best of my life (so far) and I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you so much for giving me the gift of support this season and allowing me to spend this magical time with my family. I love you all and I can't wait to get back to doing videos consistently!

So tell me, how do you spend Christmas with your family? & What's on your Christmas wish list?

-B

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thank You & Miss You

Hey everyone! I have to write this quick blog post to thank you all. In my 2.5 years of doing YouTube videos, I've never been so pleased or surprised. Most of the time, if I go more than one day without uploading a video, I get an overwhelming amount of tweets, comments, messages, and emails asking me to upload. Normally, I love this! It makes me feel like you all are excited to watch me and it reminds me to do more videos. However, I mentioned in a video and blog post that I was going home for the holidays, and if I didn't upload as much as normal, it was because I was spending time with my family. I have been so shocked at the support I received after this. So many people are writing to me letting me know that it's fine if I skip a little while during the holidays, and to focus on my family. Thank you thank you thank you! Knowing I have your support and love no matter what makes me so happy!

Anyways, it's been five days since I uploaded my last video and I miss you all so much! Even when I'm not uploading, I'm still talking to you through twitter and email and this blog, but it's not the same. When I put up a new video and get that initial push of 1,000+ comments I'll sit there and read through each and every one, responding to as many as possible because, the way I see it, if you take the time to write a comment to me, I should take the time to write one back to you.

My point of writing this blog post was to thank you for your support. And to tell you that I already miss you. I was never planning on going anywhere for long, but this little break has been good for me, but I'm ready to film and upload again! I miss it already! LOL.

Filming and editing and uploading really take a lot of time, but when I sit and respond to comments and read them all, it's a full day ordeal! There's no way I would have been able to decorate the Christmas tree with my family, bake holiday cookies with my grandmother, or wrap presents with my little sister if I had been worried about videos. (Don't get me wrong.. videos are never a hassle and I love doing them, but sometimes they just take up more time than I have.)

So tomorrow I'm going to start filming and uploading again! Even tho it's only been 5 days, it feels like a few weeks! This little break got me really excited and happy to do more videos, which is a good thing. I've have time to think of new video ideas and I think if I take a break every once in a while, it'll help me. I'm soooooo excitedd!! I'm going to wake up early and film and AHHHHHHHHHH it's gonna be a good day!!! :)

Any video requests? Leave them in the comments of this post!

Love you,
-B