My Friend Court

Women's Slouchy Jumper for spring

4/10/2018

Women's slouchy jumpers are probably one of my favorite year round outfits, as it feels like you are wearing your pjs, but it also makes a really big style statement too! The one I am sharing today is the perfect women's slouchy jumper for spring.

I picked up this gem of a jumper last spring at the Inman park festival from a shop called Baizaar. It is light-weight (feels like you're not wearing anything) and great for spring and summer here in GA where it can get insanely hot.

Today was a VERY beautiful spring day, so I threw on my slouchy jumper and Chris and I got out of the house for happy hour on a patio somewhere. You see, as a lot of the country has been experiencing- the weather has been drunk and flip-flopping all around. It is great one day and the next day it's rainy and in the 30s again. So, ENJOY IT while its here.

Chris (my hubby) is a commercial/fashion photographer, so he helps me out with my photos and since I'm no model he also helps me pose sometimes. He said crouch down and well...haha this is what we got! I feel like I see other girls pull off this sort of pose so well but I just don't know about me.

These purple tassel earrings are my new fav! They are super light weight, which makes them easy to wear all day. and I got them from target. And my handbag and tassel is by (moi) StudiOH, Shoppe!

Also, I switched to this all natural, tea-tree oil, ph scalp balancing shampoo and conditioner and now all of a sudden my hair has all this body and wave to it and I don't even know who I am. I've always had pretty straight hair, except for in middle school when I had a perm! lol But I love it, and had to get a picture of it. This is me letting it air dry, because I need to get one of those diffusers and see if I can really get it to curl! Has this sort of thing ever happened to you before? SO WEIRD!

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How to Get Inspired : 5 Ways I find Inspiration without the Internet

3/19/2018

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Wondering How to Get Inspired? I am sharing 5 tried and true ways that I find inspiration without Pinterest or the Internet. I have been doing these things since middle school. Be it looking for inspiration for my next art project or outfit, these 5 ways that I find inspiration have helped me time and time again when I catch myself in a creative rut.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I LOVE me some Pinterest, but do you find yourself just pinning away, constantly looking for inspiration but not ever stepping away from Pinterest to actually apply it?! No…just me?! hehe

…But really, I am sure you can relate. Pinterest can be like a time warp, that sucks away your time AND creative drive all at once. I have boards that I use for inspiration for my art, and designs and some days when I go back to it I just start pinning away like a zombie or just get stuck feeling like I’ll never create something as cool as what I pinned… Ya know?

In these cases, I believe it’s always good to go back to your roots. And when I was young, and un-jaded by the world (and the internet and all of its cool ideas), I was filled with so much creative energy and could find inspiration everywhere.

SO, I started thinking about what I would do when I needed inspiration back then and realized, other than Pinterest and the internet (and wine)- I still find inspiration the same way. And for me, it ALWAYS works.

So if you want to know How to Get Inspired without the internet, try these 5 things and let me know how it works for you!

How-To-Get-Inspired-without-the-internet_my-friend-court

How to Get Inspired without the Internet - 5 Ways:

Go thrifting // antiquing :: For me, there is just something about going to a thrift store that really gets my gears uh-firin’! Digging through people’s old junk always sparks inspiration for me. Even if it may not be something I would buy, I can find inspiration in the designs, prints and old books and nicknacks that can be found.

thrifting in East Atlanta village

2. Get out in nature :: When I say I believe in returning to your roots, I mean it literally. Get outside, smell the fresh air, let the sun hit your face and clear your mind. Look around and find inspiration in the mundane beauty that nature has to offer.

roaming the flower fields in the South of France

3. Go to a library or bookstore :: I don’t know about you, but I love books. From their covers, to their smells, to the beautifully written words and pictures inside. There is always inspiration to be found inside of a bookstore or library. I personally could spend hours flipping through and tabbing off pages in books (or snapping pictures on my phones -SHHHHH!!).

A rainbow library I spoted in Iceland

4. Flip through old magazines :: Like books, magazines- old and new, are a great source of inspiration. So, next time you're at your Grandma’s house, flip through her old stack of magazines. Trends are always repeating themselves, and an old college professor of mine once told me that good artist borrow, but great artist steal an idea and make it better ;P

image via unsplash by Charisse Kenion

5. Get inspired by Music :: I mean HELLO! Who doesn't love music and use it as a source of inspiration to make them feel better, good and creative?!?! But digger deeper than just the sounds you hear, look at the words, album art and music video. Be inspired be the full experience.

some of my favorite records

I hope at least one of these five ways can help you find inspiration if you are feeling in a creative rut. But please, share with me (and my readers) what you do to get + stay inspired in the comments. We all have those moments where we find ourselves in a rut, and no matter how much we don’t want to be there, sometimes its hard (but keep fighting, you got this). Remember to support and uplift your fellow artist and creatives, always!

Psst!: How do you stay inspired? Share with us in the comments!

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Painted Yoga Mat DIY : How to Customize your Exercise Mat

1/29/2018

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I started this painted yoga mat last fall some time, and like too many projects, just never finished it. As part of one of my “New Years Resolutions” (if you will) I want to tie up some of those loose ends.
You know, finish those books I started (I’m notorious for reading multiple books at once), complete those paintings I have hanging out in the corner, close out the 50 million projects I started, and clean out and get organized once and for all (hah!).

The reason I painted this yoga mat is because over the past year I have really started practicing yoga again. And I’ve had this cheap ol’ mat forever, it works just great but was a little boring. I could just go buy a new one, but I figured- why not try to paint it first.

I am so glad that I did. Even though it took me nearly forever to finish, I love the way that it turned out. And honestly, one reason it took so long is because I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to paint, or more so what colors I wanted to use.

Let’s just say I got over half way done and changed my mind because it was looking VERY Lisa Frank-ish and that was not the boho-peaceful vibe I was going for.

So I started over. But the good thing is, acrylic paint is so forgiving. I just let it dry, and then was able to paint over it using the blues and the greens that you see here.

Steps :

Clean your yoga mat’s surface
Sketch out your design using pencil, marker or paint. (my mat is textured so It was a little tricky getting used to the surface)
Fill in with color using acrylic craft paints.
Add second layer of paint if you need too. If your mat is textured \ you’ll probably need to touch up with a second layer (I did).
You can seal with mod-podge if you want ( I didn't, and I have used it nearly every day for the past month and its good, no chipping)

And Tah-dah! All done. I will say, once you get going, it doesn't take too long and will dry in less than an hour, but I let mine sit over night before I used it.
I have been keeping yoga/art journal as well, and will be sharing that with you all soon!
If you end up trying this too, let me know- I would love to see it!