5 Summer Essentials

Summer is finally here and I have some items you need in order to look and feel the best all summer long! Longer days, sunshine, and overall having the best time is what summer is all about! So with that said…

#1 Good Quality Sunscreen

Hot girls wear sunscreen plain and simple. No one wants to be walking around looking like a lobster in pain because they didn’t put sunscreen on. The UV index is high and I know you want to go out there and get all nicely tanned but it’s not worth ruining your skin. Regardless if you’re outside for 30 minutes or if you’re outside for 6 hours put on SUNSCREEN! Not just any sunscreen though because we all hate the sunscreen that leaves us feeling oily or sticky. I linked below some of my favorite sunscreens for both your face and body!

#2 Cute Water Bottle

Like I said before, summer is filled with long hot days so you need to stay hydrated. A cute water bottle will make you want to drink more water and a cute one just adds to the aesthetic! If you want to go the extra mile and feel even more like “that girl” get an ice maker. This can be one of those big fancy machines that make pebble ice or you could get a simpler tray that is equally as cute but a little more work. Having nice ice cold water on these sunny days is a must in my book! In addition to going that extra mile, invest in some good quality stickers to jazz up your water bottle. I say good quality because hopefully you’re washing your water bottle and you don’t want your stickers falling off or fading. This is just a little addition that’s really cute and fun!

#3 Good Quality Tote Bag

I say tote bag but honestly it can be any bag you love as long as it’s lightweight. You don’t want to be lifting a hefty purse to the beach or through the farmers market. I love a tote bag personally because its just so summery and beachy. It fits the vibes of summer fun! Tote bags can also be unique to you there are so many different designs that allow you to show off your personality! If you’re artsy you can even paint on your own design as a fun summer project! All in all a sturdy tote bag can be taken on all your summer activities so you can carry around important items while looking great!

#4 Water Safe Jewelry

It’s time to stop wearing poor quality jewelry pieces. I understand that most people simply don’t wear jewelry in the pool or ocean but I personally love accessorizing with staple pieces. I think jewelry is beautiful in every situation. I am also really lazy so I don’t like taking off my necklace and putting it back on every time I want to go swimming. If you’re like me, invest in 2-3 necklaces and some rings that you love and will wear all the time so that you can look great without having a green neck or fingers. If you don’t want to buy pricey jewelry but still want to accessorize all summer, get some cheaper plastic items. Summer is the perfect time to wear bright beaded necklaces and bracelets. The beaded look is so summery and fun without breaking the bank! 

#5 Quality Hair Care Items

I can not stress this enough, please spend money on quality hair care products! This is one of those items that you’re not going to want to cheap out on. A lot of hair care products are filled with harsh chemicals and random ingredients. Summer is hard on your hair with all the swimming and the heat, your hair can get extremely dry. This is why you should invest in great quality shampoo and conditioner but other products as well. I think a good hair mask and leave-in conditioner are great additions that will help your hair exponentially during these summer days!

That’s all I have for you today, I hope this helped get you all set up for the summer and inspired you to be the best version of yourself. With that being said have an amazing summer! With love..

-Nikki Smith

Small Town Summer Bucket List!

Now I love a good summer bucket list as much as the next person but I live in a small western town with not much to do. I know a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to live in a fun beach town where they can go tubing, go to festivals and all of those super fun activities. There are also a lot of people that cannot afford to do a lot of bigger summer activities which is why I created a list with some fun things to fill up your summer days that are relatively affordable and can be done from anywhere. There is a broad range of activities so I hope you can find somethings to add to your summer bucket list so you can have the best time!!

  • Lake Day
  • Make bracelets
  • Bake off night
  • Paint glasses
  • Watch the sunrise
  • Make a fancy breakfast
  • Movie marathon
  • Bike ride around town
  • Tie Dye
  • Water ballon fight
  • Paint air dry clay dishes
  • Go to local stores/window shop
  • Go swimming
  • Play volleyball
  • Make popsicles
  • Carpool Karaoke
  • Create a blog/youtube channel
  • Bonfire w/ smores
  • Go camping
  • Have a picnic
  • Learn a new lauguage
  • Go bowling
  • Host a game night
  • Watch fireworks
  • Self care day
  • Try a new food place/menu item
  • Go on a hike
  • Make a photo wall
  • Redecorate your room
  • Create a scrapbook!
  • Go through you closet and donate clothes
  • Sunbath
  • Upcycle a piece of furniture or clothes
  • Have a photo shoot
  • Make chalk art
  • Go to the Rodeo
  • Find live music
  • Go fishing
  • Visit local shops
  • Create an epic ice-cream sundae
  • Go night swimming

That’s all I have for you guys today! I hope this inspired you to get out there and create wonderful memories! Summer is the time to try new exciting things! Even living in a small town can be super fun if you make it the best it can be! With that being said I hope you all have and amazing summer! Good bye 🙂

-Nikki Smith

Scrapbook Ideas

So you want to get into scrapbooking. There are so many ideas for what life events you could scrapbook or  if you want a creative outlet to showcase what you love. I personally have a what I call a lifestyle scrapbook which means I like to add pictures and decorate pages based on what is going on in my life for example sports, travel trips, people in my life that sorta thing. However I know there are also a lot of people that use scrapbooking as a way to showcase their favorite shows, actors, or just be creative with a color schemes. Either way sometimes we run out of ideas for what exactly we want to scrapbook or ideas for simply starting.

Scrapbooking is often seen as a lost art. Similarly to knitting and sewing it has fallen into being for older people however I say that’s just not true. Growing up in a digital world we have lost some key aspects that I know we all still love. For example growing up I loved to look through my mothers old photo albums. I got to see pictures of her as a kid with her friends and got to see some of her adventures. Not once has my mom ever called me over to look through old Shutterfly albums. Why? Because it’s not the same. Having physical pictures of experiences is so fun and looking back on those memories will last a lifetime. We forget certain parts of our childhood as we grow up, but we can always look back on them when we have a scrapbook. However scrapbooking is not just a collection of pictures. That is called a photo album. A scrapbook is transforming a page to show your experiences and how you felt with the addition of photos. Though I am unfamiliar with having a scrapbook to showcase favorites, there is the sentimental value of creating something that you love that represents yourself and how you feel about a certain topic. Having a scrapbook allows you to be super creative but sometimes we run out of ideas so here are some categories to look through that will hopefully inspire you to create a new page or a scrapbook in general. 

Lifestyle Pages

Sports 

School Spirit

First Football game of the season

Homecoming Day/Dance

Homecoming Dress up Days

Winter Formal

Winter Week Dress up Days

Prom

Spring Break Fun

Friendships

Childhood/ Throwback

Grandparents

Family

Significant other 

Pets

“About Me”

Accomplishments 

First Car

Christmas

New Years

Valentines Day

Easter

Halloween

Fourth of July

Birthdays

Traveling

First Job

Going to the Fair

Going to the Rodeo

Going to the Beach/Lake

Hangouts with Friends

Summer Fun

Winter Fun

Fall Fun

Spring Fun

Concerts

Festivals

Pardes

Hometown Highlights

Weddings

Vacation

Museums/Exhibits

Favorites

Favorite Books

Favorite TV shows

Favorite Cartoons

Favorite Activities

Favorite Products

Favorite Pictures

Favorite Events

Favorite Fast food places

Favorite Songs/Artists

Favorite Influencers

Favorite Stickers

Favorite Places you want to Travel

Favorite Outfits you’ve worn

Favorite Flowers

Favorite Moments in your life

Favorite Celebrities

Favorite Recipes

Favorite Quotes

Favorite Text Messages

Senior Year Ideas

Senior Nights from Sports

Senior Sunrise

Class Prank

Your Graduation Pictures 

Graduation Invites from your class

Graduation Pictures

Favorite Memories in High School

Family Grad Photos

Graduation Party Photos

College/Career Spirit Page 

School Pictures throughout the years

Creativity Pages

Colors

Textures

Patterns

Materials – Magazines, books, etc

Doodle art

Packaging into art for example- A turtle made out of used plastics

Letter to blank

Miscellaneous items art- staples, paper clips, pens, tape, to create something

Create a puzzle of different things the fit together

Different mediums- paint, chalk, pens, charcoal, etc.

Film photography photos

Filters

Polaroids

Different Style- graffiti, calligraphy, etc

Miscellaneous

Sunsets

Fashion

Book Review 

Vision Board

Goals Page

Mirror Pictures 

Selfies

Monthly Wrap Ups

Black and White Only

90’s Inspo Page

Movie Ratings

Bucket List 

Gratitude Page

Previous Art Display

Notes from Friends page


Okay guys that’s all I have for you today. I hope you got some inspiration for your scrapbook or were inspired to create one with some of these ideas. Scrapbooking is a really fun creative project that will leave you with a beautiful book of memories for years to come. If you can think of any other ideas please feel free to leave them in the comments below! Thank you for reading!

-Nikki Smith