Tuesday, July 28, 2020

A Look for Early Fall Days

It's been a minute since I have talked about fashion and what I am loving! 
Today I wore an outfit that I can't wait for early fall so I can wear it all the time! It's definitely too hot right now outdoors, but since today I am inside attending a literacy conference, it was the perfect comfortable ensemble. 
Ruffle Joggers
Similar Black Bodysuit

Happy Tuesday y'all
xoxo, Love.Haight

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Designing Shelves


Over the past couple years I’ve done some reading and researching on home design. Nothing too intense, but there are some great books (I talked about them HERE) and websites and blogs and all sorts of fun places to look for home inspiration. I stumbled upon shelf design, or what some people were calling vignettes. 

Today I’m going to quickly outline the 3 things to consider as you’re decorating spaces like shelves, cubes, mantles, etc. It is all about a matter of balance. These concepts are quite simple and intuitive: height, color/texture, and item “use.”
Let’s jump in!

1. Height/Size

I think this one you’ll find is pretty much a no brainer! You will always want to balance out the height and/or size of the decor pieces. Putting tall things opposite of one another on different shelves make things feel balanced- like a scale in some ways! The terrible drawing below is done by me. :) But I thought it would help illustrate the idea. I tried to draw the big and heavy things and tall things on varying spots on the shelves so it feels equal and balanced. (I had to come up with "decor" ideas on the fly!)
                                             
Balanced
                                        
Now I wanted to show what it feels/looks like when this concept isn't utilized. This photo below feels completely unbalanced because all the tallest and heaviest items are all along the left side and the small things are all on the right. Doesn't it feel like the shelves are simply going to fall over?
    
Unbalanced
                                      

2) Color

Again- another completely intuitive process, but it's a good one to really think about to keep balance and an all-around pleasing aesthetic. This time I have to use a photo instead of a drawing. 
The first thing to think about is the number of different colors used and keeping them in the same shades. 
I have a pastel theme on these shelves. (Notice how my bright raspberry colored mixer on the bottom doesn't fit at all? Such is life sometimes when your practical items get in the way. :D )
 
But I really only have a couple colors here. Pink, blue and mint. There is one small yellow measuring cup, but for the most part I have kept to those small number of colors. I balanced the blues and the pinks on opposing ends of the shelves. (Blue tea kettle across from blue cookie jar, pink measuring cup across from pink pitcher, etc)
And to reiterate from the first tip about size, I have balanced the cookie jar, tea pot, and pitcher apart from one another on each shelf as they are the biggest anchor pieces. 

3. Item Type/Use

This may be the least intuitive of the 3 design concepts I've covered. It may be the least important too, but I do think it does help with balance if you're unhappy with your set up. If it's a small number of similar items you will want to group them together. But if a large number of books are in one place, or all your plants (real or fake) it might be making it feel unbalanced. I like different items sprinkled throughout in big enough groupings that they still have some impact. I like to keep some coherency through out my spaces. I like to use trees, faux floral, wood and a lot of gold throughout! My biggest challenge in my cube organizer was to keep my photo frames spaced apart! It is definitely what I have the most. I also have some sections of books, greenery, and liquid vessels like pitchers and decanters. Only you know what you have, but try and keep it balanced into different sections!


I hope this was helpful to you while designing your own spaces! Thanks for reading.
xoxo, Love.Haight

Monday, May 25, 2020

9 Months On, 9 Months Off: Favorite Tips/Tricks/Things for Losing the Baby Weight

Good Morning.
Today I'm talking about a little bit of a touchy subject: Weight. Body Size. Confidence.
While a lot of factors can go into your weight, like muscle mass, height, genes, whatever, we all know what weight we feel best at. And after pregnancy, I was certainly not at mine. With my second pregnancy I gained 45 pounds. And that was after still being up 9 from my first pregnancy. Recently when my son turned 9 months I hit my pre-pregnancy weight from my pregnancy him. So I figured, hey let's talk about this, and I can share what works for me while I'm getting fit and healthy. I’m not “done” and I am not “skinny” or a fitness blogger. But skinny isn’t the goal. Healthy and fit is! 

1. Mindset
I 100% believe that you won't lose weight until you're ready to do so. I kept telling my mom I didn't care about my weight. And I didn't. I was hanging around just 30 pounds lost of the 45 and felt fine. But once I started getting excited about health and fitness I lost the other 15. It's all about your mindset. When you're ready, you'll do it.

There’s no shortcut. When you first begin, start SLOWLY. This is a marathon- and the changes have to fit your lifestyle longterm. It makes me sad when I see people set themselves up for failure by doing something that isn’t sustainable. 
Move more. Eat less. That’s it. Anyone who tells you otherwise just wants your money. Rant over. 

2. Apple Watch
This is the tool that has helped me to lose the last 15 pounds of my second pregnancy. I hope it will help me lose the rest from my 1st pregnancy and maybe even get back to my ideal number! The number one most helpful part of my watch is the fact that it shows me how active (or not!) I've been that day. It reminds you to get up if you've been sitting all hour. You work to close the rings of 3 goals: movement (calories), exercise, and standing. At first closing the 600 calories wasn't that easy for me. I learned I wasn't as active as I thought I was But as I'm very competitive with myself I loved the thrill of crushing that goal and now prefer to have 800 days or 1,000 calorie days. I go for walks outdoors, jump rope, do YouTube videos, lift weights, or do dance parties with my toddler. Seeing my numbers after a workout and at the end of the day is so motivating. I highly would suggest some sort of fitness watch if you're a visual person.

3. YouTube Channels
Here is my favorite channel for workouts. Heather Robertson has a crazy amount of options: no equipment, no jumping, weights, HIIT, stretch days, ab days, leg days, etc. You name it, she has it.

Staying motivated can be difficult. But I definitely find I stay motivated by watching a video or two from health and fitness vloggers. They give tips, talk about food and fitness, and mostly help you know you aren't alone on this journey! I have recently been watching videos from Jillian Michaels and Whittney Simmons.


4. Healthy Alternative Snacks
Here are a few swaps I've loved!
1. Cup of coffee or hot cocoa during a mid afternoon slump. It takes longer to drink than popping a piece of chocolate in my mouth.

2. Yasso Bars over ice cream or other bedtime treats. So delicious and only 100 calories. I also like Halo Top, which is a protein filled low fat ice cream. They are about 180-230 for a pint and I eat it in 2-4 sittings typically, so it's a great low cal option.

3. Simply Pop popcorn over chips. I really like the simple flavor, and it's definitely a healthier option.

Making small swaps is a great way to cut back on calories and create that deficit that you'll need to shed pounds. Check out this Jillian Michael's video for more on that from a weight loss expert. Again- there’s no trick. She explains mathematically/scientifically how the body loses a pound. It’s helpful!

5. Adding a Vegetable/Green to Each Meal
This one is a duh. But I'd never been the best at incorporating them into my meals. I was usually so tired after doing the entree I didn't want to bother with a side. But I eat less calories overall when I can fill up on a vegetable. My favorites are: roasted cauliflower/broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, sweet potatoes, salad, and canned peas. With some light oil and a lot of seasoning you can create a delicious side that won't feel like a punishment to eat.


Final reminder. Drink a lot of water! Start every meal with a glass of water. As the results start becoming visible your motivation will be renewed. You can do this. If you want to and you’re ready you will!!


xoxo, Love.Haight
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