The real Laguna Beach

I know you guys have all probably heard of the t.v. show Laguna Beach, that starred L.C. now on The Hills. Well growing up there was not at all like it was portrayed on the show. It kind of makes me sad, because LB has so many unique and amazing things about it, and beautiful sites. It's known for the Art Festival, the Pageant of the Masters, and the Sawdust Festival they do every summer. It's a very artsy town, still filled with the hippies, and laid back surfer bums. I love it so much, and hope to get out there soon to visit the fam. These are some of my photos of LB. And a celebrity siting on one of our local beaches.

My favorite jeans of all time. They can make anyone feel super slim amd they are so comfortable.

William Rast, Savoy Trouser

If you haven't heard of e.l.f make-up check it out!

Most inexpensive make-up around!

Lipgloss for $1, great cosmetic bags, and yummy body stuff.

Anniversary sale 10% off your order of $20

sounds delicious

Citrus Salad with Honey and Mint

1 grapefruit

1 navel orange

2 teaspoons honey

4 small sprigs fresh mint

With a knife, cut away the peel and white pith of the grapefruit and orange and slice the fruit into rounds.Arrange the slices on individual plates.Drizzle with the honey and top with the mint.

Make-Ahead Note: You can cut the peel and pith from the fruit up to 12 hours in advance. Seal tightly in a container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to slice. Yield: Makes 2 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 96(9% from fat); FAT 1g (sat 0g); CHOLESTEROL 0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20g; SODIUM 4mg; PROTEIN 2g; FIBER 2g; SUGAR 19g

my favorite perfume

i searched high and low ... i'm not a perfume girl, but man! when i found this perfume i was hooked. fresh and girly, but not overpowering. i'm almost out myself ... so nordies here i come!

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Check out Smilebox to make your own greeting cards & scrapbook slide shows. Really fun and super easy!

Happy Feet

Yes I have been keeping up with yoga journal
for a couple reasons....
1. When we move to Chicago I'm teaching pilates and step at L.A. Fitness. Crazy huh! A little freaked out that I got myself into this! It should be a good time.
2. I love learning more about it and it keeps me motivated.
This article is about keeping your feet healthy and happy! Oh and pedicured!

Some Scrabook Ideas

I am the first person to admit that I get in a creative rut. I always like to look at other peoples work and get small ideas that can change my work. Hope these are helpful!

What to eat for Breakfast?

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I just attended a lecture on how important it really is. The healthiest item to eat to boost your metabolism and help control your eating for the rest of the day, is eating an EGG. An egg is the purest form of protein. It has all amino acids necessary that make up a full protein. This helps boost your day and enables you to control your cravings throughout the day a lot easier than eating cereals or waffles. An egg is natural, meaning your body has an easier time digesting it and can use up all nutrients, more so than something man-made like protein powders and power bars. By skipping breakfast, you are putting yourself and your metabolism in the negative, allowing your body to feed off your muscle for energy. DON'T MISS BREAKFAST!
I also learned that you can't get salmonella from raw eggs! Raw eggs are the best form of an egg you can eat!
Tip for people on the go. On Sunday I boil about half a dozen eggs. These are easy to grab on the way out!

Twilight

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Happy Birthday Jill!

Who got you those amazing glasses? :) You better wear them all day on Tuesday. Too bad my cell phone camera isn't better.

HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY!!!

Tinted moisture-New in Stores!

Jane Iredale Dream Tint with SPF 15 is new in stores! Oil-Free and used best with Jane's mineral powder.

Prevents clogged pores and break outs.

I also love the Disappear Camo Cream. The best Camoflauge out there. I used it when I got my brown pregnacy mask and it worked miracles! Great line for foundations, camoflauge creams, and powder. I would recommend not trying the color line. Not that great. Stick with Mac for the color.

O.K. ladies...check out this article. A few tips for getting into that swimsuit this summer. It actually includes getting regular massages!

What are you doing this summer to stay fit?

expose yourself with exposaroonie

so i am super new at the photography thing, but am gaining a great appreciation and excitement for the field through a photography class i am taking this summer at a local community college here in raleigh.

i've discovered an amazing site called exposaroonie that gives weekly themed photography challenges open to any photographer wanting to enter. it is a BLAST to participate in. check out details on the weekly photo challenges here. it's fun to have a reason to take a great photograph each week. i'm finding photography is all about exposure and picture composition. learning how to work my digital slr has been a challenge, but i've really found that once you can control the exposure and frame correctly, you can really get some great shots.

so go ahead, expose yourself. i have.

Latest finds...

Love them, Aviator Sunglasses from Forever21 $5, and this Shade top $25. Put them together with a cute pair of Jeans, like some skinnies perhaps, and fun colored shoes, like these sweet little yellows by Sam Edleman. 40% off at Nordstrom

You can email Liz to get a good deal on the shade shirt or any shade clothing or use her PS CODE: BAK12600 to get 10% off first order and 5% off all orders after that. Liz's email: elizabeth.baker@shadeclothing.com

I'm All about It's Yoga & Soel Boutique

This place has amazing classes. It's really hard, and a great workout. A lot of stretching, breathing etc. Yoga is one of my favorite workouts. The Boutique is so cute, great brands from Free People, LAmade, Michael stars, Ben Sherman, Orla Kiley bags, Shade, splendid and more.

Super comfy! Urban also has the long sweater cardigans right now. They are so very awesome! Its 115 degrees out but I'm saving mine for the great Cali nights when we are at the beach.

What do you put on your skin?

ivillage voted 10 best moisturizers of the year...

1. La Mer Crème de la Mer

2. Olay Total Effects Moisturizer

3. Estée Lauder Idealist

4. Mary Kay Day Solution with Sunscreen SPF 15

5. Avon Anew Retroactive Age Reversal Cream

6. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion with SPF 15

7. Clean & Clear Oil-Free Dual Action Moisturizer

8. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

9. Proactiv Repairing Lotion

10. Olay Complete UV Protective Moisturizer

My top 2 that I feel are missing...

1. Face Cream by Skin Ceuticals

2. Skin Smoothing Cream by Dermalogica

I love Mini Boden!

This company is based out of The United Kingdom. A little more then Gap prices but quality is much better- everything washes really well and stays looking great. Love their whole girl line- baby boy line isn't as cute but has some great pieces. www.bodenusa.com

Photography 101: Kids.. get down on their level

I thought I'd start of by showing off my darling nephew! Yes, he truly is the highlight of the family! Besides being absolutely adorable -- there is a reason I'm putting up photos of Davis! Photography tip 101! One way to get great pics of your kid is to get down on their level! When I was taking these, I was practically laying on the floor. Here's the reasons: when he was sitting or crawling, he was only about a foot off the ground. Think of it this way -- it's rare you get a flattering picture of yourself when someone is shooting up your nose or looking down at you from high above. Kids are super cute so sometimes those angles work -- but for the most part you can better capture their expressions and the moment by getting down on the floor with them!

Have you heard about this???

This amazing wand does double duty for one of your best features...your smile and teeth!

A double-ended, tooth-whitening wand and lip gloss product.

Enbrightenment BriteSmile® Whitener & Tarte Lipgloss.One side contains Tarte's t5 super fruit™-infused lipgloss and the other contains BriteSmile®'s proprietary teeth-whitening formula for easy on the go application. The result will definitely leave you smiling!

Try it and let us know what you think!!

A Couple of Ideas Around the House

If you need to add more color to a room or tie colors together find some paint and paint the mats that your pictures can go in. On this example I used the paint that is on my walls in other rooms in the house and it worked perfectly.

When putting items on a horizontal service, the trick is to have lots of different heights and overlap pieces in front of other pieces.

If you are short on ideas for your walls, make a scrapbook page and frame it. It works really well when you want to bring in more color to the room or you need more of a certain color...

Use some kind of your normal decor as a jewelry hanger...

I had a shade under mine and loved it. Fun for the beach trips.

Shade! $75 purchase= FREE SHIPPING!

Boyfriend Tee- This is my favorite shirt right now!! I have it in Lipstick (as seen above) and cloud. I have to stop myself from wearing it to bed its that comfy!It is sooo soft and loose around the waist! It is crew neck, contrast stitch on neck, fits oversized, order one size smaller for standard fit. (50% cotton/50% modal machine wash.)

June Promotion:
For every order placed through me of $65 or more, you will receive 50% off one of the new summer shirts! The 1/2 off shirt options are: 1980s Tee, Ruffle Hem Cami or Modal V-Neck And, if you are spending $65, plus 50% off one of our summer shirts, you will most likely spend $75 and be eligible for Shade’s free shipping!

The promotion will run from Monday June 9^th, through Monday, June 30^th. You have to call or e-mail directly though as customers using my code online or in a retail store will not be eligible to receive this great offer.

E-mail me at elizabeth.baker@shadeclothing.net

You can also use my PS CODE: BAK12600 for any Shade online orders. You will get 10% off your first order and 5% off every order after that!! Here is the website.... www.shadeclothing.com/~ps~BAK12600

Look at all the items on sale!!!

Style Name	Color	New Price (Web and Stores)
1/2 Sleeve with buttons	All Colors	$19.99
6-Button Top	All Colors	$16.99
Crochet Sleeve Top	All Colors	$19.99
Crochet Trimmed Cami	All Colors	$16.99
Girly Skirt Extender	All Colors	$7.99
Girly Skirt Extender with Acetate Pleats	All Colors	$8.99
Girly Skirt Extender with Eyelet Lace	All Colors	$9.99
Maternity 6-button Top	All Colors	$19.99
Maternity Square Neck Cami	All Colors	$9.99

4th of July at Chasing Fireflies

Can the 4th of July get any better? The skirt comes as small as a 2T.

This tee is now on sale!

Under Construction! I will work on it when I get back from CHICAGO! If any of you want to play around with adding fun things to the side bars and mess around with the header and colors thats great too!

Summer Look by Smashbox