1: OPT FOR VERTICAL STRIPES

Photo by Artem Beliaikin @belart84 from Pexels

If you’re like me and you are plus size and short, you should opt for vertical stripes on your clothing. Horizontal stripes can make you look wider and can accentuate lumps and bumps that you might want to keep hidden. However, vertical stripes give a lengthening effect, making you look taller and drawing the eyes to the top and bottom of your body, rather than from side to side.

2: THINK BIG WITH ACCESSORIES (FOR THE MOST PART)

When it comes to accessories, the experts agree that larger statement jewelry and other accessories look great.  Since I got some contacts, I have been loving accessories like sunglasses. I bought this pair for a special baseball game a few weeks ago. However, I've loved them since.  I myself noticed that my face seemed a lot smaller when I wore sunglasses with larger frames. This is because the attention is moved on to your glasses, giving your face the appearance that it’s shapelier.   I personally like aviator sunglasses! I've also really loved statement jewelry. Experts say that smaller pieces can sometimes seem super tiny on us larger ladies (no offense intended from these experts). You could also try a head accessory like a bow or ear/head wrap in colder months (like the one below made by my awesome mama)!

View this post on Instagram Don’t settle for basic, baby □□ Extraordinary is where it’s at!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Feeling so confident in myself today. It’s amazing what recognizing your own talents, abilities, and greatness can do for you. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Take today by the horns and give em heck! Happy Friday, everyone! Also, tell me in the comments which you like better: picture one or two?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #plussizeblogger #prettyandplussize #plussizebloggers #bodyconfidence #confident #whatswrongwithbringconfident #extraordinary #beautiful #lifestyleblogger #youtuber #happyfriday #freshfriday #friday #cheerstothefreakinweekend #photoshoot #nature #pretty #ladylike A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Jun 21, 2019 at 4:35am PDT

3: PLAY WITH PRINTS

Again, if you’re wanting to look slimmer in particular, you should try to play with different patterns. Patterns can distract from lumps and bumps as well. I really love floral patterns as well as tie-dye. The photo to the left is one of Jonathan and I's engagement photos (we're married now)! This dress has a floral print. I also love skull prints. My college graduation dress was black with neon skulls on it. I loved it and still have it!

4: DRESS FOR YOUR BODY SHAPE

Within the plus-size community, there are different body types. The key to feeling and looking great in your outfits is dressing for your body type. There are five main body types: hourglass, pear/triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, and oval.   Each body type can style themselves specifically to cater to the curves in a fashionable way.

Share

STEP 1: BLEACH THE SHIRT

STEP 2: ADD YOUR DYES

STEP 3: WASH AND WEAR!

Share

YOUR THEME

To begin, you need to pick a theme for your decor. LOL at my head in the left corner of this picture! I decided to stick with the school spirit theme. As some of you know, I work at a college that I happened to attend. I chose to use Gold and Green as my color palette. You should choose a color palette that you're not going to get tired of! Also, avoid bright reds and oranges. Studies show that these colors enhance stress in a space.

DIY 1: DYED CURTAINS & CUSTOM PICTURE FRAMES

So, I couldn't find curtains in the right color green when I was working on this project, so I ended up dying the curtains that I had. The main thing you need to remember is that you have to buy fabric dye that works with your curtain material. I didn't buy the right kind the first time, and the second dye produced a blotchy look, but I kind of liked it. As for the picture frames and the curtain rod, I spray painted them to all match in color. I got both the curtain rod and the frames at a discount store, so I didn't spend a fortune. Next, I added mostly photos of my family and my husband, my award from the local paper, and some random photos like the green bird, green paint stripes, and the lion (which I took) into the mix!

DIY 2: WINDOW TASSELS

This DIY is super simple. All you have to do is cut long strips of whatever yarn you'd like to use. You then tie another piece of yarn in the center and fold the yarn over. Join them at the fold with some ribbon. I then added five tassels. I wanted to keep the decor primarily on my wall in case someone else took up the second spot in this area. So, I decided on the window. I really like that it adds something extra to the bland window shade!

DIY 3: CORK BOARD PIN STATION

As someone who loves pictures and is blessed to receive cards and other smaller paper items from coworkers, I wanted to add a cork board area to my office. But, I didn't have a lot of space. I found these hexagon-shaped corks at a craft store and decided to cover them in a green felt and add on the ribbon stripes for decoration. I did have to attach two corks together because these were kind of thin and would have just gone through the wall. All you have to do is glue the felt or other fabric to the cork board. Then glue the ends and center of your ribbon to the board and you have yourself a cute, DIY cork board that matches your decor!

DIY 4: CUSTOM-PAINTED SUPPLY JARS

I was so excited when I found some Gold office supplies (tacks and paperclips) at the store, but the tops of them were cork. I decided I would do a simple DIY and paint the tops of the cork lids green. I then used one of the tacks on the top of each of the lids to act as a handle so I could easily remove the top. Lastly, I had a ribbon that had the name of my university on it. I added that around the one that I keep in the center. Now, I have functional and cute decor that just called for a quick paint job!

FUNCTIONAL DECOR 1: BUSINESS CARD/NAME PLATE

I decided that I really needed a place to set out my business cards, so I was given this business card holder by my job. I have it set up with my business card, our social media card, and business cards for my blog! I paired it with a gold name plate with marble and pink details that says "girl boss." My mom found this for me at Hobby Lobby and I was in love.  Lastly, I have a vase which I hope to try and keep filled with flowers this year. I was gifted some flowers by some coworkers, but they unfortunately died before I wrote this post!

FUNCTIONAL DECOR 2: PINEAPPLE OIL DEFUSER

This is a major tip for you! If you work in a high-stress environment, you need to invest in an oil diffuser. I know it may seem silly to some, but aromatherapy really is a real thing, and I use it almost every day. All you need is water and a few drops of essential oil. I love to use lavender scents. Not only does this little pineapple guy bring some decor to my desk, it also functions as a stress reliever and keeps the office smelling great! You can find oil diffusers at pretty much any department store. I highly recommend doing this if you want to stay stress-free at work!

FUNCTIONAL DECOR 3: COFFEE/TEA STATION

The coffee is out at the moment, but I wanted to show you that you can make a nice coffee area for your coworkers without spending a ton of money. I already had the Keurig cup organizer to the left. I had a Keurig, but it died after two days on the job. I bought this replacement knock-off for less than $20 at Walmart! I bought the silver tray, gray and white mat,  and most of our coffee cups from the dollar store.  Everything else is just sugar, creamer, and honey!

OTHER TIPS

Share

​I can’t believe that, at this time next week, my college will be graduating another class of students. This year makes five years since I graduated. Even though I’m only 25, it still makes me feel ancient.   But, I imagine that I probably reach a good number of people who are college-aged. ​Whether you’re just joining college or in college currently. You may notice those girls with giant wooden letters sitting around a table in your student center encouraging you to sign up for more information on their sorority.

THE GOOD

​From that group of women, you will likely have two or three really close friends come out of it. Two of my closest friends, Lauren and Paige, were both in my sorority with me. We actually just met up the other day to catch up. Paige is now in Arkansas, and Lauren lives close to me in the same city. But, we are all grown up and have lives and responsibilities. You know you’ve found a true friend when you can pick up and talk about things like no time has passed.

Speaking of philanthropy, ours was Relay for Life. Relay for Life, if you don’t know, is a cause that helps fund detection and research on cancer. Each year, our sorority would hold different fundraising events to raise money for Relay for Life. We also always tried to get out to the event and have someone walking the entire time. It sometimes fell on exam week! Lastly, I will say that I think I gained a lot of leadership knowledge when I was in my sorority. I learned that, even if you’re doing what everyone else thinks is best and you have no say in it, it all will fall back on you.

THE BAD AND THE UGLY

The first obvious thing is the fact that you’re always around a bunch of females. Now, while this can be fun, it can also turn in to drama really quickly! This, I believe, is a natural thing that happens when you’re around someone of the same sex 24/7. This can lead to the formation of friend groups within the sorority really quickly.   The other thing is that, no matter what, you always feel like you’re in competition with other sororities.

​The point of Greek life is to offer a variety of Greek organizations with different values so that everyone finds a place where they feel at home. ​However, Rush Week can quickly become a competition, especially if you’re at a smaller school where your number of pledges determines where you’ll live, how much money your chapter will have, and more.

​The last thing I want to mention is that small groups have it pretty bad. This isn’t to deter you from joining a smaller sorority. I loved that my sorority was a bit more intimate and we all felt like we knew one another. Being a smaller sorority often meant that we didn’t get to live in the Greek village, we didn’t have much representation around campus, we were often left out or forgotten, and we had very little money to work with. ​We had less to offer potential girls for this reason, so our size dwindled quickly.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

​Next is that all sororities aren’t really expensive. My sorority was founded during the Great Depression, so the founders made a point to make sure that the dues would continue to be very cheap. We paid about $40 in chapter dues each year, which is a lot cheaper than many sororities.   My last thought is that you need to shop around and really get to know some of the other sororities. That would not have changed my choice, but you never know, especially at a bigger school!   Do you have any questions about being in a sorority? Ask them in the comments!

Share

1: YOU'LL PROBABLY HAVE A BREAKDOWN

It doesn’t matter if it is because of stress from your classes, the fact that you’re really involved, or if you are struggling with homesickness, most undergraduate students face some sort of mental breakdown in their college careers.  This is somewhat normal, but it is important to address the issue ASAP.

2: IT'S OK TO SAY NO

I think that I’ve always felt that I needed to try harder than everyone else because of my plus-size status. Sometimes, I feel as though people discount me. I’ve actually experienced it before. I’ve been told my a number of people that I wasn’t ever going to be good enough because of my weight.

3: COLLEGE FRIENDS WILL BE YOUR BFFS

A lot of people say something like, “my college friends are my best friends to this day.” That is so true. Granted, I’ve only been out of college for four years. But, my friendships from college always stay strong. ​My friends from college were in my wedding and we still hang out and talk to this day!

4: ​PREPARE FOR DRAMA OF SOME SORT

Especially if you’re a female, you can expect a lot of drama in college when you live on campus.  My first semester, I lived in a residence hall all by myself for about a week while I was at marching band camp (geez, that sounds nerdy)! My roommate wasn’t really all that involved, so she would go out partying or go hang out until really early in the morning.

​5: YOUR PLANS MIGHT CHANGE, AND THAT’S OK

When I first started at my University, I was a Chemistry major minoring in Forensic Science. When I was a freshman, they didn’t have a stand-alone forensics program, so I had to take the science program. I decided after a semester that I didn’t think that would work for me. Then I switched to English, then to undecided, and then finally to Mass Communications.

​6: MAKE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

One of the most important lessons I’m just now starting to learn is that schedules can really help you. Your life is basically a huge schedule when you’re in college. You have your class schedule and your activity schedule. But, what you need to do is fill in those empty slots in your schedule and try to stick to it.

​CONCLUSION

Share

​DAY 1: MOVING BACKWARD IS NOT AN OPTION, AND STANDING STILL IS NOT ENOUGH

DAY 2: THE WORLD NEEDS TO EXPAND ITS RADIUS, BUT THAT IS MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE

DAY 3: PROCRASTINATION EXISTS BEYOND DUE DATES

DAY 4: LYING IS A COOPERATIVE ACT

DAY 5: DON'T LET PAST REJECTION DICTATE FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

Share

WAKE UP AND ENJOY SOME FOOD!

This morning, I make and enjoy some treats including sausage balls, one of my favorite things! We normally do stockings at my mom's house in the morning, as we are going to see Jonathan's family today and probably won't do Christmas presents at my family's house until tonight. I always love having Christmas breakfast and just enjoying the morning before heading out!

HEAD TO JONATHAN'S GRANDPARENT'S HOUSE!

On Jonathan's side of the family, they get together on Christmas Eve at his mom's parents' house and meet up again the next day for some food and gifts for the little ones. It is a nice time to get together and hang out with cousins. Afterward, we will probably go to Jonathan's parents' house where we will exchange gifts with them!

HOPEFULLY SEEING MY GRANDPA!

If you're a loyal reader, you may remember me mentioning that my grandpa has been in several hospitals and rehab facilities this year. I really would like to see him on Christmas, but I don't really know what the plan is. He may be able to come home on Christmas, or he might have to stay where he is and we may need to go and see him. Regardless, it wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't see him if we could, so I'm hoping we can go and be with him for a bit this year instead of leaving him wherever he is all by himself. I'm hoping that this will give him the strength he needs to work hard in rehab so he can come home, but it is all up to God! Please continue to pray for him!

PRESENTS WITH MY FAMILY!

We will probably put dinner on to cook while we open gifts at my mom's house. Jonathan and I will also exchange presents at this point! I always get so excited to exchange presents with everyone because it is so great to see the look on people's faces when you give them something they will love!

CHRISTMAS DINNER

Time for dinner! At the end of the day, we will no doubt enjoy some food and maybe even watch a Christmas movie. We may also be playing around with our stocking stuffers or presents this year, so I'm super excited. The food is my second favorite thing apart from giving gifts to people!

Share

DON'T THROW OUT THAT COFFEE

If you're anything like me, you probably make too much coffee in the morning. I always forget that my husband doesn't wake up early enough to have coffee, but some days he actually does. Leaving excess coffee sitting out all day can cause bacteria to enter into your coffee pot and into the coffee itself. I sure won't be drinking old coffee that's been sitting out all day.

SIGN UP FOR SAVINGS PROGRAMS WITH YOUR BANK

I currently bank with Wells Fargo. The company has a program where a few dollars are moved from your checking account to your savings account each time you make a purchase. While it is only a few dollars here and there, it does add up. This can help you save for the future or can even help you save money for that vacation you've been meaning to go on! See what your bank has to offer in the way of savings programs.

PICK UP YOUR GROCERIES

Walmart is where I shop for most of my groceries. However, I find myself making unhealthy (dietary and financial) decisions when I go in the store. I always make a list of what we need, but I often take a detour to look at clothes or to purchase an unhealthy snack that I know I shouldn't be eating. To help me with this, I now use the grocery pickup service to stop me from impulse buys.

FOLLOW MY WATER RULE

This is a fairly new rule, but I'm sticking to it for my health and to save money! I personally track my food and water using the FitBit app. On it, there is a recommendation for the amount of water I need to drink a day. For me, it is 64 fluid ounces. I have decided that I won't drink a diet soda or any other beverage aside from coffee until I meet my goal.

DONATE TO A THRIFT STORE

Not only is donating good for your soul, it is also good for your wallet. Most donation centers will give you a tax deduction form that you can fill out and use at the end of the year on your taxes. So, take some time to purge your closet and home of the things you don't need so that they can be sold at a reduced rate to those who need it most!​

HAVE A FREE DATE NIGHT

As someone who is married and on a budget, date nights can be expensive. For the hubby and I, we normally go out to eat and see a movie. This adds up quickly. However, I have gotten into the habit of checking our town's calendar to see what free events are happening in the area. Sometimes they are good and other times they are a bust. But, that's the fun in trying new things with your partner! Do something FREE!

CONCLUSION

Share

1. TRYING TO FIND A SQUARE-INCH OF CLEAN SPACE ON A COUNTER TOP OR DESK IN YOUR HOUSE TO TAKE A PHOTO FOR YOUR LATEST BLOG POST

2. THAT FEELING WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED WITH BLOGTOBER OR BLOGMAS

3. THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU RUSH TO YOUR COMPUTER WHEN YOU GET IN FROM WORK OR A DAY OUT SO YOU CAN WRITE ON THAT BLOG POST TOPIC THAT INSPIRED YOU

4. WHEN YOU FINALLY GET TAGGED FOR A BLOGGER PEER AWARD

5. WHEN YOU DECIDE TO WRITE ABOUT A NEW SUBJECT THAT YOU'RE TOTALLY UNEDUCATED ON

6. WHEN YOU TRY OUT A RECIPE FROM PINTEREST FOR YOUR BLOG BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE

7. WHEN YOU NEED TO GO TO THE CRAFT STORE FOR THINGS FOR YOUR BLOG, BUT YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER SAYS NO

8. WHEN SOMEONE YOU KNOW IRL SAYS: EW, YOU HAVE A BLOG?

9. AND WHEN YOU GO ON TWITTER TO RANT ABOUT SAID RUDE PERSON AND YOUR FOLLOWERS NEED TO KNOW EVERY DETAIL

10. WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES A WELL-THOUGHT-OUT COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG POST

11. LAUGHING AT YOUR OWN BLOG POST TITLES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO PUNNY

12. WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO FOR YOUR NEXT BLOG POST, BUT THAT FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO READS RELIGIOUSLY SENDS YOU IDEAS

13. WHEN YOUR PETS, KIDS, OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER TRYS TO INTERRUPT YOUR BLOGGING TIME

14. YOUR WALLET AFTER PAYING FOR SUPPLIES FOR YOUR BLOG POSTS

15. CONSTANTLY CHECKING YOUR GOOGLE ADS ACCOUNT TO SEE IF YOU'VE EARNED ANY MORE MONEY FROM AD CLICKS

16. GETTING WORRIED THAT YOUR CONTENT ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH WHEN YOU SEE YOU HAVEN'T EARNED ANY MONEY

17. GETTING REASSURANCE FROM FELLOW BLOGGERS THAT YOU DON'T SUCK AND YOUR READERSHIP WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IF YOU STAY CONSISTENT 

18. AND FINALLY...HOW YOU FEEL KNOWING THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN AND SCHEDULED YOUR BLOGS FOR THE WEEK!

CONCLUSION

Share

AUTUMN QUESTIONS TAG RULES

THE QUESTIONS

MY ANSWERS

WHO I'M TAGGING

Share