I hope you are well and getting ready to put out your fall decorations! I’m so excited for the fall season this year because I really need that boost of serotonin! The weather is still hot and muggy in Oklahoma but here’s to hoping it changes soon, ha!
I made five new wallpapers this year to fit the spooky theme and hopefully get you in the mood for Jack-o-lanterns and candy corn!
Hey, Boo!
These two spooky friends are ready to say “hey!” when you check your phone!
I Need Coffee…like right now
Because coffee waits for no one, especially in college! PSL with Chai, anyone?
It’s Just a Little Hocus Pocus
When you awake from your 300 year dirt nap, this cute wallpaper will be there to greet you!
I Put a Spell on You
For the withes out there, this is for you, you magical thing.
Hedgie + Pumpkings
This lil guy has my heart.
These wallpapers are formatted in 828 x 1792 px to fit most iPhones, specifically the iPhone 11. They can be sized down to fit most screens!
Happy fall, y’all! Go get a cup of coffee and get your spooky season on!
There’s nothing better than coming home from work and cozying up to good movies! This month I had a lot of down time before I changed jobs and I definitely did my fair share of streaming on different platforms! This is my list of what I streamed this month and my recommendations for you!
Practical Magic
Hello, this is one of my favorite comfort movies! I found it on HBO Max and it put me in the mood for fall weather and fluffy blankets! Sandy B and Nicole Kidman star in this 1998 classic that spreads the love on the bond of sisterhood with a healthy pinch of witchy magic. It also brings an important awareness to being careful at what spells you cast and what type of witchcraft you are practicing. I love this movie anytime during the year!
Beetlejuice
Say his name three times and he shall appear! Hulu currently has this Tim Burton film ready for your enjoyment! Once again, another spooky film has made my favorites list. Any Burton film is a good one but I have always loved Beetlejuice the most. The humor, the prosthetics, the music, chef’s kiss!
Harry Potter collection
When I’m in the mood for a movie I’ve seen before that I can put in the background, I always watch Harry Potter! You can find the collection on HBO Max and Peacock while it lasts! I subscribe to both streaming services but I mostly watch it on Peacock! If you haven’t seen any of the HP movies, you need to at least see them once!
Leap Year
Leap Year has been on my list of go-to romantic comedies ever since I saw it years ago! Amy Adams and Matthew Goode star in this heartfelt film that makes my heart pitter patter. Peacock has this streaming now! Go pop a bag of popcorn and grab your best blanket!
Jaws
Dun-dun-dun-dun-dundundudndun…iconic, right? The full Jaws film collection is streaming now on Peacock for subscribers! The first film is my personal favorite by far! I remember the first time I saw our VHS tape, I was terrified! The boat scene where the head pops out made my soul leave my body! I think that was my first “scary” film experience growing up! If you’re a fan of the classics, it’s a perfect time to plan a movie night with the fam!
Pretty Woman
Believe it or not, Peacock isn’t sponsoring this post (but they totally can! My email is linked *wink), they just have a lot of great movies and shows (here’s to The Office fans!). Pretty Woman is kind of intense and pulls on my heart too much..but the piano scene! Woof! It definitely rose my expectations! Funny story- kind of- when I was around 11 or 12, my mom and I went to a flea market and I saw a VHS of Pretty Woman and I asked my mom if we could get it. She said no, of course, and the woman running the booth told my mom it would teach me what NOT to do. Little did that woman know I would be an accountant (briefly), ehehe. Anyway, Pretty Woman is fantastic and you should go see it!
Twilight saga
Yes, I am one of those people who started streaming it as soon as it dropped on Netflix! I was heartbroken with Amazon dropped it and it could only be rented but Netflix came in to save the day! It’s no surprise that as soon as it released, the movies shot to the top 10 movies on the platform in the US. We all missed the cringey and, honestly, problematic love triangle of Edward, Bella, and Jacob.
That’s it, y’all! That’s what I streamed this month! If you’re looking for a good film, or series, to spend your weekend watching, check these out!
One of the things I see all the time on Instagram and Pinterest are tips on how to make morning routines and daily routines happier or bring extra joy to them. I think as humans we are always looking for better things or how to increase our own happiness. Whether that’s making a cup of coffee in the morning before getting ready or spending 15 minutes of yoga in the morning, we are always looking for bigger and better. The past two years have been a lot, to say the least, and now more than ever we are on the hunt for making the best of our daily life. So here are five easy ways to increase your happiness every day. Small actions create big waves and change!
Buy flowers for your house!
I know it sounds odd, but this works! For the past month or so, I have made it a goal to have two bouquets of flowers in my house- one in my room and the other in a commonplace (I also buy these ones for my mom!). Having fresh flowers around has boosted my happiness because it adds beauty and they just make me feel better! I tend to buy a $5 small bouquet from Walmart and they last for right around 2 weeks!
2. Get some stuff to make your house smell good!
Candles are my love language! I always keep a candle burning while I’m in my room because it is so relaxing and my room smell so good! My current candle is Ocean Driftwood from Bath and Body Works and I love it. I also have a few wall plug in’s around my house to make it smell a little better! I have pets and let’s face it, they don’t always smell the best- especially when they come in from outside! Wallflower plugs from Bath and Body Works (my fave!) are under $10 and they last for a month at my house!
3. Drink more water!
Listen, I know! Water, water, water. It’s tasteless and people are always saying “drink more water, blah blah” but it’s true! I used to drink a glass of water maybe once a day and I’ve started to drink at least 3 water tumblers a day now. It still isn’t as much as I should be drinking but it is a start in the right direction. My secret is adding freshly cut lemon slices. It’s good for me and it makes water not tasteless! I feel better when I drink more water and it makes me a happier person when I am actually hydrated!
4. Do one thing for yourself a day!
Whatever that looks like for you, take the time to do it! Whether it’s taking a bath, getting a coffee, or watching an episode or two of your favorite show, make the time every day to treat yourself to it! Treating yourself to small joys adds happiness in your daily routine and no, it is NOT lazy to take time for yourself every day! You deserve it by getting through every day!
5. Talk to people!
Something I noticed, especially this past year, is that I am happier when I talk to friends. Even if it is one quick conversation with a friend via text, it makes my day better! I think that since 2019, we have regressed in relationships. We had to quarantine, were told to keep distance from people for our health, and it was a hard time. Making sure to keep in touch with people and getting together with friends in person now is a great way to have fun and keep healthy relationships!
I hope these little tips help you add a bit of goodness into your daily routine and I really encourage you to do at least one thing to increase your overall joy. You are worth taking time out of your day to devote for yourself!
If you are just starting out as a blogger or need a little content pick me up, this post is for you! When I started blogging years ago, I remember feeling lost and didn’t know the first place to start. With a few years under my belt and some good advice from others, I have a learned a few great tips for blogging and content creating!
+ Free Stock Photos
There are a lot of great websites to find good quality stock photos that are royalty free, meaning you can use them without paying for them. My go-to websites for free stock photos are Unsplash and Pixabay. I use Pixabay for vector images and illustrations to give posts a little pop of color and something fun. Unsplash has a lot of really good photos and the quality is A+! I have seen some bloggers use images from Unsplash to fill in content gaps on Instagram and while that’s not really my personal style, Unsplash’s high caliber photos look great on all social media.
Tip: make sure you know where you are allowed to use images! Different websites have different rules!
+ Editing Websites & Apps
So you are ready to make your own Instagram stories but you aren’t sure where to find free templates that actually look good. Look no further- I gotchu! My top two websites for templates, banners, and a bunch of other projects are Canva and Crello! Canva is what I used from day one and their styles and options have only gotten better. They do have a paid premium subscription option but I still use my free account! I utilize Canva for my Facebook and Instagram stories, post templates, making fun social media quizzes, a a lot more!
Crello also has a paid membership option available but the free account has a lot of access to editing tools and templates. If I can’t find something I like on Canva, I’ll jump on Crello and check out what they have. Their animated post options are really cute and I have used those for a few different posts. If you check out Crello, I recommend looking at their templates for Instagram video stories!
+ Photo Editing
Girl, yes throw the filter on that photo! I never used to use filters and sister, let me tell you- filters change the entire game! If you have some dark light, the right filter is going to light everything up and smooth it all over.
VSCO (yes, like the VSCO girl stereotype!) is a wonderful free app for filters that do the job. However, the number of filters is limited for the free version! There are currently 10 filters available for free, but if you want to invest on a paid membership, it is $20 for a full year and that allows complete access to the app and editing tools.
Snapseed is the other app I use! I haven’t played around with it a lot but it is a good resource for editing! I learned most of how it worked by sitting down and trying out all of the options and going by trial and error, but that’s also how I learn best. I’m sure there are other apps out there that are better but Snapped is free so I can’t complain!
+ Join Facebook Groups and Instagram Pods!
Facebook groups for bloggers are a fun way to make friends, get some of your blog posts views, and to expand your blog’s followers. It’s completely free to join groups on Facebook and I promise you that you are going to find people you will click with!
Instagram pods/messaging groups are another way to get engagement on your posts, plus you can interact with new and upcoming bloggers or influencers. Supporting fellow bloggers is an awesome way to get out there!
I hope that some of these tips may have helped you and given you some ideas to get started on your blog! Drop your blog links down below! I would love to read some of your posts and support you!
If you haven’t seen on my Instagram lately, I’m starting something new and fun that I have wanted to do for a while now and I think now is the time to do it! Conservation is something I have always cared about and it is something that we can all do. It sounds daunting and believe me, I thought it was too! An easy thing to remember is that conserving starts at home. It is a great step to take and you will feel great because you have made the decision to live a little greener and you are helping eliminate waste! Recycling is a great key in conservation, so let’s start there!
Think of a few things that you may use daily: plastic straws, cotton rounds, a plastic toothbrush. Those are things that I use almost daily and there are products that I can replace them with that aren’t as harsh on the environment. This month(or in the next month, depending on how that works out) I plan on switching over to a bamboo toothbrush that is biodegradable, buying stainless steel reusable straws, and getting a big pack of reusable, washable cotton cloth rounds. Another great thing to do is to buy reusable grocery bags and take them with you when you go shopping. I have two of them right now and I need to stock up on them. Any plastic bags that I do get from the store go back to them so they can be recycled. Replacing those items are really affordable and very simple to do! Etsy is my go-to for all of these and I will put links in the bottom of the post!
If you are like me and you buy a water bottle almost every time you go to the store (hi, Oklahoma hot summers. I’m looking at you!), then a good idea to replace those plastic bottles is to buy a filtered water bottle that is reusable. Brita has a lot of bottles to choose from and the basic blue one is under $10! Note: you will have to buy replacement filters every two months (or after 40 gallons). I plan on buying one of these the next time I go to the store! Where I live, there aren’t any recycling centers to go to. It is a problem, but there are a few solutions to recycling if you don’t have a recycle center!
Find out if you local grocery store (Walmart or Target, mainly) has a spot to put recycled items! The Walmart near me has bins to recycle plastic bags, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans.
For aluminum cans, see if there is a salvage center near you. I take my crushed aluminum cans to my local salvage center and I get money back from the soda cans!
Save all of your recycled items and then take them with you when you go to a bigger city!
After seeing someone pull out a plastic straw out of sea turtle’s nose, I don’t like using plastic straws. They go in the trash and for a lot of people (myself included), there is no afterthought of what happens after the garbage man picks it up. By using stainless steel reusable straws, I don’t have to worry about using plastic straws. They are also really affordable to use! Again, check Etsy! Buying there supports smaller shops and there are so many great products on there!
If you want another great way to support conservation efforts, go online and look at shops that sell products and donate proceeds to charities! Pura Vida is one of my favorite brands that gives back and you can buy bracelets that are part of their charity collection and part of your payment goes towards charity. I recently purchased a bracelet that helps donate money to saving sea turtles. I can’t go physically help with sea turtle conservation (and believe me, I have looked!) but I can help by donating! It may not seem like a lot, but every bit helps! Once my Pura Vida order comes in, I will be doing a post on the two bracelets and the anklet I got and what charities they will be helping!
This is going to be a new theme to Glitz and Glitter, especially on my Instagram. I think more awareness needs to be brought to conservation and recycling, and we can all do our part! I’m also going to put links to different resources down below so you can know more!
Mimi In Motion 