2018

So, I posted this on Instagram but thought I'd write it here too.

I'm not gonna lie. 2017 was great and all, but I'm pretty ready for 2018.
This year brought a lot of good stuff, but also quite a lot of crap too.

However, because of the crap, I've realized a few things this year.

One: I stress too much. Over EVERYTHING. Whether it's something that I can control or not, it doesn't matter. If it can be stressed over, you can bet that I'm already on it.

Two: I spend so much time trying to make myself into whoever others want me to be, I've all but forgotten who I am. I've spent so much time trying to make everyone else happy, that I totally overlook my own happiness.

Three: I am in charge of my own happiness and self-worth. ME. Nobody else.
Sure, people and things can "make" me happy, but in the end, it's up to me to stay happy or not.

Four (last one, I promise): It's okay to not be okay. If you need to cry, go ahead and cry. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it's overcast with a chance of tornadoes. And that's okay.

Why am I telling you all my issues? Because they have made me a better person and have actually taught me a lot about myself.

In fact, 2018 will be the year that I take time for ME. It's going to be the year that I stop trying to please everyone, and focus on what makes ME happy, like TRULY happy. 

I'm going to try as hard as I possibly can to not stress over stuff that I have no control over. And if needed, I'm going to get rid of things in my life that are bringing me down and making me stress when I really don't need to.

It's gonna be hard. It may hurt. But it's gonna be worth it. Because I am worth it.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's ♥

and she's off!

Hey there! It's been a minute since I last posted! 

Sent off sister no. 2 to the MTC today. 

She will be serving the people of Tokyo Japan for 18 months! 

important announcement

Hello!
I have decided to create a blog JUST for my Etsy listings instead of posting them with my personal posts. Thought it would be more professional.

The new page is:
https://pearlandberryetsy.blogspot.com/

This is where I will be posting the featured listings, coupons, and announcements from now on.

Have a great week!

diy earring holder

I finally got around to making the jewelry holder I've been wanting to make for months now.
I looked up a few already made ones but found 2 problems.
First off, none of them were exactly what I wanted.
Second, for one the size I needed it would be around $100 and I wasn't gonna do that.

Here's how I made mine: ( I apologize for the photo quality)

First, I had to find a frame big enough, without breaking the bank.
Luckily, I found this one at Hobby Lobby in the 90% off Home Decor section.
It was originally around $54 but was marked down to $5.40 because the paint/finish was pretty beat up. I was going to paint it anyway, so it didn't matter much the condition of the paint.
The frame I got is about 28"x22" and about an inch or so thick.

Then, I had to figure out what to put in the middle.
I originally was going to do wooden slats but didn't like how much space there was between them.
I wanted the whole frame to be filled. I found a 2'x3' decorative sheet of metal at Lowe's for $29.99 + tax ( I think it ended up being $32 something).
If you want to do a smaller organizer Lowe's, Home Depot and Hobby Lobby have smaller sheets of decorative metal.



Thirdly, I got me some screw in hooks from Ace Hardware, but you can get them at any hardware store. Be sure to pre drill the hole for these so they are easier to get in the frame.



Time to assemble. Measure the inside of the frame (or whatever space you want the metal to fill).
I used super glue to secure the metal to the frame. Works really well. Let it sit for a few hours, or overnight - clamps make it stay together better while it dries.
I hung the frame with a photo hanging kit that I had leftover from a college photo class. You can get these at hardware stores as well.



I decided to hang it with two screws so that it didn't move around when I hung stuff on it. In addition, I secured the wire to the top of the frame in 2 places so that the frame didn't lean forward and make everything fall off.

Tada! You've got a jewelry organizer that works for whatever you need! 

growing up is hard

Growing up is hard.  

This isn't anything new. It just is what it is. 
It's different. And hard. And scary. And I'm not sure how much I like it. 
It forces me to get uncomfortable and sometimes be absolutely miserable. 
It's tough and sometimes it sucks. But it's life and I can't really change a whole lot about the majority of it. 

I always thought that I'd have my life all figured out by now.
I had a plan. 
Go to college. Get a degree. 
Get hired for my dream job. 
Meet Prince Charming. Get swept off my feet. 
Get married. Travel the world together.
Settle down. Have a couple kids. And a cute house. With a dog of course.
Basically, have life all figured out and be happy.
All by the age of about 25.

That's not how it went. 
Yes, graduated and got that degree from college.
But that's about as far as I've gotten. 

I am now 23. 
I don't have my dream job. Or any job at the moment.
I have not met Prince Charming. I'm certainly not married.
I still live at home because with my student loans, and current lack of a job, I can't afford to pay rent. 
My life is not figured out.

When I look around at other people my age, I feel like something went wrong somewhere.
A lot of them are married. Some with 1 or 2 kids.
They have jobs in the fields that they enjoy. 
They live in their own apartments, some with roommates, some without.
Sure, some of them are still in school. But they have more of their life in order than I do. 
They're living the life I planned for myself.
Sure. They've had their hardships, but all I can see is their successes and that I'm nowhere near that level of adulting. 

So many thoughts go through my mind on this subject. Every. Single. Day.
Shouldn't I have more figured out by now? Does my Prince Charming even know I exist? Does that guy even deserve a right swipe? Why am I the only one who feels stuck? Am I broken? Do guys even go on dates anymore? What if I'm stuck living at home till I'm 50? Did I choose the right degree path? 
There is one question that rotates through more often than the others. Why can't I be like them? I had a plan for heaven's sake! 

Why is it that my life plan is taking so long? What happened to the plan to be a 'real adult' by 25? Am I doomed to be stuck in this cloud of confusion forever? It's not like I haven't tried. Because trust me, I have. I feel like that's all I do is try. But it never seems good enough. How am I supposed to get where I want to be? How do I get un-stuck? How can I, a 23 year old single unemployed woman possibly make it in this crazy world? 

I know this makes it sound like my life is a never ending pit of craziness and despair. It's not. I promise. It's got plenty of good things too, more than it has bad. I have a good life. A great family. Amazing friends. I'm actually a pretty happy person 99.99% of the time. I simply want what everyone else wants. To feel like their life has a real purpose. Mine is just taking longer than I thought it would to get there. And that is something that I'm working on accepting.

If there's one thing that I've learned from this rollercoaster called adulthood, it's that life, at least mine, won't always go as planned. Ever. Even if you took months to write every little detail down, and you're positive your plan is foolproof.  Life. Doesn't. Care. It's got different things planned. Some of them may match with yours, and some won't. And that's okay. 

As my good friend Alexnder Graham Bell said, "When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

Don't focus so much on the closed doors, or parts of your life plan that didn't work out, that you miss the new doors and opportunities that have opened up for you. 

diy nail polish

Ever get tired of not being able to find just the right color of nail polish in any store? No need to fret! You, just like me, can make your very own!

All you need are 2 'ingredients':

-clear nail polish (any brand you like)

-really pretty sparkly shiny dust

  -- (i.e. eyeshadow, glitter, or UV dust powder stuff)

Step 1:

Take your clear nail polish and open it. Easy as pie.

Step 2:
Take your really pretty shiny powder stuff ( I used this pretty shiny copper stuff that I found on wish.com that is supposed to be used with a UV base and lamp)

Step 3:
This is where it gets tricky.
Either use a really little funnel, or make one out of paper like I did.
CAREFULLY pour your glitter/shiny powder into your clear nail polish. 
Shake well.
(I obviously didn't use the same nail polish that was in the first photo, I just forgot to take a before photo)
*note: I decided to go with a super cheap clear polish just in case I didn't like the end result. No need to waste 5 bucks if it's not going to turn out

 Step 4:
Ta-Da! You have your very own, one-of-a-kind nail polish color!
Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

alexa+reed

Got the chance to shoot an engagement session for one of my best friends and her soon-to-be hubby (who I've actually known since Kindergarten).

The weather was absolutely miserable and cold, but these two made it completely worth it.

I couldn't have made a better match if I tried!

(all photos copywrite 2016 jessikalloyd photography)

it's alive!

My website is finally up and running! Hooray! 

I'm doing a little giveaway to celebrate!

There are two ways that YOU can enter, dear blog reader.

#1: Head on over to Instagram and look for the giveaway post on my photography page

(https://www.instagram.com/jessikalloydphoto/)

#2: Mosy on over to Facebook, and find the same post there

(https://www.facebook.com/jessikalloydphoto/)

One lucky person will win a canvas print of their choice (from one of the following categories from my website: Nature, Wildlife, Places or Misc).

The winner will be announced on my Facebook and Instagram pages on January 7, 2017.

*As of right now, I can only ship within the U.S.*

I look forward to what 2017 has in store for me and my photography, and wish you all a great year as well!