Good reads, stock photos, and Novi turns one?!

001. Where do you get the photos for your blog posts?

This has long been a struggle for me— how to find great photos without constantly feeling like you a) have to be a professional photographer or b) must always be down for a photoshoot. I’m not that girl and so I needed another solution.

Most of the photos you see on my blog are actually stock photos that I find online.

I started using Unsplash about 2 years ago. Unsplash is packed with freely usable images uploaded by creators all over the world. You can download them in an instant and start using them. This is important** unless you are using images that are free-to-use on the internet, you cannot and should not take photos from someone else without proper credit.

This past year, I decided to make the upgrade and paid for a membership to Social Squares. I pay a monthly fee to use their images. They load their membership site up with images that are specifically for female entrepreneurs. I started using their images 3-4 months ago so if you’ve noticed a nice shift into brighter photos, that’s why 😉

Having a membership to a stock image site is a time-saver for me. I can’t pretend I have time to take a ton of photos on top of everything else going on. I love supporting another business by having a membership and paying to use the photos— it allows me to shop small while also upgrading the look and feel of my own brand.

002. Novi turns 1!

But how?!?!

It feels like just a few weeks ago that we were heading into the hospital for our induction and waiting to meet our girl. And now, she is bubbly and curious. She likes to be independent. She loves music and singing. And she cannot get enough of her Tuesday pup and the backyard!

We celebrated our Novi girl turning 1 this past Saturday and I don’t even know where the time goes! I think we can all agree that time is warped in this perpetual pandemic. But we loved having the family over to enjoy some donuts, open a few gifts, and celebrate this sweet girl. I had so much fun planning a mini party for Novi and learned a lot of hacks. If you want me to share these hacks in a future post, comment and let me know!

003. My new favorite tee.

I spotted this tee at Target the other day and immediately wanted to buy it in all colors. I’m guilty of buying A LOT of these kinds of tees but I have cut back significantly since starting a Capsule Wardrobe. I can confirm that this tee is one of the comfiest I’ve ever worn from the Universal Threads company and worth the $8 to add to my wardrobe as a go-to casual tee.

004. What fitness watch do you use?

I get asked this question a lot on Instagram stories and I wrote a full post last year on my fitness watch. I’m obsessed with my Garmin VivoActive 4S and I get into all the reasons why over here.

005. What are you reading right now?

Something to know about me: I am always reading a lot of books at one time. It takes me longer to actually finish one (unless one really, really grabs my attention more than the others) but I like to always be reading a diverse range of things. I’ve included a list of the books I am currently reading: