Packing Tips To Make Your Move Smoother

Moving is one of those trials that almost everyone has to face at some point. It can be stressful, and never exactly fun, but the outcome is usually positive. Of course, how successful your move depends on avoiding mistakes and planning ahead to make the process as smooth as you can. Here’s how to pack to make things as hassle-free as you can. 

Image - free for commercial use

Use The Right Size Boxes

When you pack your books for moving, pack them and your other heavy items in small boxes. Lighter items, like pillows and linens can go in bigger boxes. Large boxes crammed with heavy items is a common complaint of professional movers. They make the job harder, and have a higher change of breaking. 

Put Heavier Items On The Bottom, Lighter On Top

Heavy items go on the bottom of boxes, with lighter things on top. If you’re loading the moving truck yourself, put the heaviest boxes in first towards the front of the truck, for balance. 

Don’t Leave Empty Spaces In The Boxes

Fill in any gaps with towels, clothes, or packing paper. Movers don’t like to move boxes that feel loosely packed or unbalanced. 

Don’t Mix Items From Different Rooms In One Box

If you keep things separated by room, it will make both packing and unpacking much easier. 

Label Each Box

Label each box with the room it goes on and what’s inside. This will help you and your movers know where everything goes. Numbering each box and keeping an inventory list is also a good way to track what you’ve packed and to make sure you have everything when you unpack. 

Tape Your Moving Boxes Well

Use a few pieces of tape to close the top and bottom seams, then use a movers’ trick, and make a couple of wraps all the way around the box’s top and bottom edges, where the stress is concentrated. 

If You’re Moving Expensive Art, Ask Your Mover About Special Crating

Understand how you pack your artwork to keep it safe. Never wrap oil painting in normal paper as it will stick. When you pack pictures for moving, make an x with masking tape across the glass to strengthen it and hold it together if it breaks. Wrap the pictures in bubble wrap or paper and put them in a frame box with a piece of card between each piece. Ask your movers, like Allied Van Lines Canada, for their advice on getting your art there safely. 

Take Care Packing The Kitchen

The kitchen has a lot of different items to pack. To pack dishes for moving, wrap each dish in paper, then wrap bundles of five or six dishes together with more paper. Pack dishes on their sides, not flat. Use lots of scrumpled-up paper as padding above and below them. 

Cups and bowls can be packed inside one another, with paper in between, and wrapped three or four in a bundle. Pack these in dish-barrel boxes.  For glasses, use a box with cardboard dividers to protect them, and wrap them in plenty of paper, to keep them safe. 

How to Turn Your Jeans Into the Perfect Pair of Denim Shorts

      

Denim short are a staple but finding a perfect one is SO hard- some aren't high waisted enough; others are too low; some are too short; some way too long.... so I found that it's much easier to take matters into my own hands and make a perfect DIY pair of cut offs.

Many of us have jeans we absolutely love but maybe they have seen better days, so since we know those fit perfectly, let cut those bad boys into a perfect pair of shorts.

 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

A pair of jeans

Scissors 

Pen (or chalk)

Sand paper

Ruler or measuring tape

MAKE IT:

Mark the desired length (by using a pair of short you already have) by putting on the jeans on and making at perfect length.

Measure inseam to make sure it matches.

Cut as per what you marked.

Pull any threads and sand down the cut edges.

Wear and look FAB!

Creating an Outdoor Oasis – Small Balcony Ideas

I am personally all about condo living - and I am fortunate enough to have a pretty good size balcony. If you are one of the lucky ones and have a balcony in your apartment, condo, or house, congratulations! (Also this post is for you!). I have looked, researched and read so I can share the best ways to maximize your (small) balcony space and create your perfect outdoor oasis.

Here is the before - super plain, boring balcony. I tired to find the size for you all but think a girl can find a meter when she needs one? no! I have outlined the 5 steps I followed to get my balcony Summer ready but if that's not enough - I have included few more ideas on the bottom of this post.

 

Step #1: Creating any oasis starts with deep cleaning your space - I used these natural products, microfiber cloths and a mop to clean the vinyl. 

Step #2 (optional): My balcony is fairly high up, but I face a parking lot and a busy soccer field so I had to work in a way to create some privacy too. While there is ton of options I needed something that would not move in the wind and that can be a permanent fixture. I purchased two of these Barrette Diamond Privacy 4X8 White Lattice pieces and fastened them to the balcony fence with zip ties.  Zip ties are perfect if your place is rental so the privacy screen can easily be removed. The reason I chose these lattice pieces over bamboo or textile privacy screen is that they are weather proof (even Edmonton cold weather proof) and I will not have to replace them for a long time. 

Step #3: Make sure your foundation (aka floor) is good to go. My balcony is vinyl but I decided that adding some color would makes a world of difference. If your balcony is cement or wood, or you just hate the color (why is beige vinyl a thing, why? could they not install grey?) you can look into these snap in place balcony tiles. They make any balcony feel more cozy and warm and its perfect as they can easily be removed if your home is a rental or you change your mind.

Step #4: Pick your furniture. If you are on a budget or need a specific size you can make your own patio furniture. I chose a set from wayfair - I like the wicker style and it came with cushion but most importantly it fit the size I needed.  If your balcony can accommodate a hammock or a swing chair those make any space cozier and comfier.

If you have a gas attachment or just love to BBQ, investing into a small BBQ is the way to go. I chose a smaller gas style BBQ with foldable sides so it take  as little space as possible. Plus since I don't have to use a propane tank, I can store things in it. 

Step #5: Make it your own. Twinkly light, extra pillows, flower plans and candles - whatever suits your style. I used to have two trees, and even tho the sales person assured me they would be able to live outdoors during Edmonton winters, they lied. So this year I added different plants that I will have to move indoors for winter.

I added lights around the edge of the fence (I chose this style as they have a solar panel too). 

I added more pillows to make the space feel cozier. I would highly recommend getting waterproof/outdoor pillows just in case you are like me and leave your nice throw pillows out and get caught in the rain.  

 

Now - here are few amazing and awesome ideas (that just did not work on my space) but can make any outdoor space a perfect oasis.

Add a railing breakfast bar /table/outdoor office space. I found this one on Etsy and LOVE it and this one can accommodate a laptop as well.

(image via etsy)

Swap your patio furniture with a day bed with lots of pillows for a maximum relaxation.

(image via)

Add a gazebo or an umbrella. 

(image via wayfair)

Go green - with lots of plants.

(image via)

Don't be afraid of color. Add different colors and textiles and prints.

(image via)

What is your say-do ratio? Few tips on how to become more reliable

I recently got enrolled in a two year long leadership course, and so far I m loving it. One of the things that was brought up numerous times across two of the course I have completed so far is a say-do ration. Say-do ratio is a ratio of things you say to the things you follow through on and do. Reliable people have a high say-do ratio.   

In a perfect world, a say-do ratio would be one to one, meaning you have done everything that you said you would do. Where do you think you land?

I'd love to think I am fairly reliable and that my say do ratio is fairly good, especially at work. I deliver on my deadlines, commit to follow up and actually do it, call people back in reasonable amount of time if I said I would, offer to help where I can etc. However, sometimes in my personal life I do miss things, like when I say "I ll clean this" and than get home from work and I am too tired, so I don't do it. Over last little while I tried to be more mindful of my say-do ratio at home and at work and here are few things that have helped me be more reliable:

Be honest about what you can commit to.
There is only so much you can do in a day, if you are being asked to do something, be honest and realistic about saying yes and doing it. Don't be afraid to say no, if you can't follow through, say no and explain why. Saying that, don't say no just because you don't feel like doing something; huge part of being reliable is that you DO help on a regular basis, and that people can count on you.

Schedule things + write things down.
"I don't need to write that down, I'll remember" is one of the things I caught myself doing - when in all honesty, I wouldn't remember, than be freaking out when I remember last minute or way past when I was supposed to do something. Write things down. Schedule them in your calendar with reminders, put sticky notes where you'll remember to look, but do something that hold you accountable to your commitments, and reminds you to do things you said you would.

Play on your own level.
Not everyone is equally reliable, not everyone will do as they said, be okay with that. You can only control what your say-do ratio is; sometimes it hard to be the person who feels like you are not receiving the same you are putting out in the world but you cant control that much. I have co-workers who say "well so and so isn't doing things, and getting away with it, why would I do this?" As a soccer coach of mine said once "play your best game every time you hit the filed, regardless of what other 21 players are doing. Championships (games) are lost when we try to match someone else's play" I think that applies to be reliable and say do-ratio. Do you best, your life is your own game (play), so make sure you feel good about doing your best; not someone else's.

Don't half-ass things. 
There is more to being reliable than just keeping your word. Reliable people let their actions rise above their excuses, and if you are committing to do something, make sure you do it well. If you are gonna put your whatever (half ass) effort in, just say you can't do it.

So what is your say-do ratio? How do you make sure you are reliable?

How I’m Planning For All My Holiday Shopping

Yes,  I am fully aware its only September, but hear me out: wouldn't be great to be ready for this Holiday season and go through it stress free? While I am fully aware that I'm breaking some kind of rule by doing this post before Halloween but if Halloween is a big thing for you, no better time than to prepare for both Holidays that are bound to cost you a lot of money, so there is no better time to start planning now to make sure you can have the best and most enjoyable holiday season.

Here is how I'm planning ahead for this Holiday shopping season:

MAKE A LIST, AND CHECK IT TWICE

Making a list of people and ideas of things to get them is the easiest way to make sure you don't have to break the bank and stress out trying to find things last minute. I use the notes section of my iphone and add ideas through the year but sitting down coming up with a list is essential. A goal without a plan is just a wish, so is just a list without a budget; you are not setting you up for success so once you have your people and your list of items, set a budget.

SALES AND ALERTS

Now that you know what you are looking for start looking for sales. Set sale alerts on website that sell those items and do research. The best part of starting early you have time on your side – not only are you not competing with everyone's sales or waiting lists – you can wait till item is available. If your items are costly you have enough time to make a payment plan and have it fully paid off by Christmas.

BUDGET AND SAVE

Being bale to spoil your loved ones, decorate your home how you want to, or get away during the holiday seasons all requires planning. If you read this post you know that budgets are essential but so is savings for these things. Each year, after I make a list I start a monthly saving plan that goes specifically towards my holiday shopping.

Few other things to keep in mind and try in order to breeze though this holiday season:
Do a no spend/financial cleanse month - go a month without spending any money other than essentials. No coffees, dinners, parties, clothes etc.

Skip/Pause monthly subscriptions - I know its like only $9.99 for Apple music and only $10.99 for Netflix, and only 29.99 for your FabFitFUn and only $5.99 for your magazine but all these ONLY few dollars here and there add up. Put a stop to those for month or two.

Skip/pause gym and yoga - I understand that fitness is good and necessary for many people but exercise at home, watch and do you tube yoga or get outside - that 100 or more will make  huge difference.

What are some ways you are making sure you are prepared for the Holiday season?

Shop Amazon - Most Wished For Items

How to: Have a Social Life and a (Positive) Bank Account Balance

(source)

This guy screams in my head daily. There are SO many things I want to do - but my bank account doesn't always allow me to "do ALL the things". In fact, it usually kicks me in the neck meat with a reality check: KACHA! You can't afford this. Stupid bank account.

Here's a few tips I use to take advantages of my wants without busting the bank.

Open a whole different bank account full of savings accounts. Prioritize your wants: music, shoes, make up, vacations. Label them, allocate monthly (weekly or bi-weekly) contributions, set up AUTOMATIC transfers from your main account. Out of sight, out of mind: until you need it of course.

(source)

Cut out the little things that you like, but don't LOVE. For example, I've stopped buying any new books - free downloads and borrowing from the library. Started picking up new ones from garage sales and second hand shops. Asking friends to read theirs - readers love to share if you swear not to bend a page or damage their babies.

Say NO sometimes. I can't go out to eat and spend cash every weekend. I can't go to every concert or attend every event. Pick and choose.

Find the free. Regardless of where you live, there is free stuff to do! 
Especially in the summer months. Many credit unions have programs that are free (or nearly free) to events year long and you can check this guide too for free events.

What are your tips and tricks for getting to do all the things you want without going broke?

Must have items when you have little time to get ready

I hear myself says "I m busy" so often that, but so are most of you. I have two jobs, a blog and am trying to maintain some kind of social life. Due to all of this I have narrowed down my get ready routine to few minutes because, well most days call for it. 

A routine involving 3 products that take me from looking ill to somewhat alive.

To go from exhibit A to exhibit B all you need is a tinted moisturizer, blush and mascara.

This photo was taken in a parking lot before an even. I took me less than 3 minutes to change how i felt. (Side note: this is after driving for 4 hours on 4 hours of sleep!)

Once I stumbled upon this Chanel PERFECTION LUMIÈRE VELVET and its like  second-skin, while this is more of a foundation than a tinted moisturizer, it has never made my skin break out. I also swear by  the Revlon bush in Rosy Rendezvous year round. 

What do you use when you are on the go?

How I Grow My Instagram

How did you grow your Instagram? If you would have asked me this question three years ago, my answers would be different. Blogging and social media have become so much more competitive in the recent years that it takes a LOT to get a break in the industry. 

Instagram is one of the main platforms most of us (bloggers) use – while I try and focus more on my content and increasing traffic to my blog – Instagram is a necessary evil. On average, I get 5-10 inquiries a month from brands, scouts or marketing agents that found letters to LA LA land on the platform. Most importantly, it cost ZERO dollars to be on Instagram and start getting potential clients.

I went from just over 10,000 followers (3 years ago!) with piss poor engagement rate to about 27K where I am today – I broke 10K because I was in bunch of giveaways hosted on over 100 blogs amongst a group of bloggers all over the world but those followers nor stuck nor actually engaged. If you were to ask me now was it worth it? NO. In all honesty, yes, my following grew on Instagram but that didn’t actually help engagement which is what we are all after. Honest answer: all that that was required was dedication, time and WHOLE LOT OF IT.

Here is what I think made all the difference for me, and hopefully will for you too:

First impressions matter. Instagram profile.

Your Instagram profile is the first piece of real estate that a potential follower or collaborations see. A good name, a good bio and link to your blog/you tube/etc are essential. I think your caption needs to be captivating and telling everyone what you are all about.

Quality over quantity.

Its 21st century, there is no excuse to have bad quality photos, funny cropped images, things you can barely read, fuzzy memes or quotes - we all have iPhones (or phones) that have amazing capture capabilities, canva is cents on a dollar and there are ton of free editing apps.  I see people post all the time (3-5 times a gay) which is cool (and good for them), but please please take some time to find your voice, your theme and post according to that, don't post for hell of posting.

Most people will tell you to have a balance between space and color or to have the same color scheme - but that does not work for most people in my opinion. Unless you are gonna be a "pink" blogger and all you want to know for it, power to ya, I would spend more time creating a feeling or a theme.

Community and engagement.

You need a community. Finding your community is the hardest part - it takes ton of time, ton of understanding of your niche/brand and ton of hours of miming for people. A strong community of like minded people is where you will see the most impact. 

In a perfect world, you will want to spend 15-30 mutes in the morning and evening to authentically engage with your community - comment, like, respond, repeat. You can add follow to that list as well, risk with following new people every day is that most people tend to un-follow, so I take time to build a rapport by liking and commenting and go from there. Commenting for just hell of commenting wont get your the return on time you are putting in, quality genuine comments will get you higher conversion rate and actually grow your community. 

Plan, plan and post.

This might have been mentioned already but be prepared, don't post for hell of posting but if you are looking to grow you have to post consistently. There are ton of way to prepare your content and there are ton of apps that can help you. (making a mood board, posting calendar, using planoly etc)

Planning a post is one thing, planning a caption, selecting hashtags is a whole new thing. Using a hashtag that has million tags already wont get your noticed, something smaller will. Use geo-tagging because according to some stats I looked, Instagram posts that feature a location see a 30% higher engagement rate.

Set realistic expectations. 

Saying I want to be at 10K followers in 2 months when you have 1000 followers today is setting yourself up to fail. What I did back in 2017 I set up a goal was to grow 5% growth month over month. So in the first month my goal was to grow by 500 new flowers (with weekly check ins/broken per week) and next was 525 on so on as so forth. 

extra tips:

These are the little things that do help - post daily, using hashtags, geo tagging, tag brands, have a call to action, and respond to all comments in first 72 hours.

Recently I was told by someone who worked at Facebook that by not using all the feature of Instagram you were missing out on how visible you are according to the algorithm. SO if you don't use ID TV you are 1/3 less likely to be noticed.

Growing Instagram is a numbers and times game - so put time into it because you will get there. I don't think that Instagram is as much about how huge your following is , and that the focus is and will be trending toward engagement. If you can master these tips above, I think you will see results in both number of followers and your engagement.

I would love to hear what you think.

How I Keep My House Guest Ready

When El and I first started talking about living together one of the things we agreed on almost instantly is to have our house always be 10 minutes or less to guest ready; well that and that we will always  have a supply of vegetables and wine.
Now that I'm on my own this is something I swear by. 

I strongly believe that you need to do a big clean, declutter, and organize and then just maintain your home so its guest ready. Saying that, I know how overwhelming even thinking about where to start is and finding the time to get through everything is. Starting with one room, dedicating a set amount of time does help to actually make an impact.  You have to be determined, dedicated and there is no dilly dallying!(ex: me playing with things I found instead of cleaning.)  If your home is in need of a de-clutter, this is not the post for you – maybe check out these posts  challenged myself to get more organized before I moved  or watch Marie Kundo and accept her ways of greatness to get the job done.

Having your home is 10-20 minutes away from guest ready is assuming you have already taken care of the basic decluttering. Less stuff means it is easier to clean, it’s just that simple. Here is detailed to-do list for a neat and tidy home, you'll have an orderly house ready for guests in 10 minutes or less.

You can use the list 2 ways - daily or dedicate a day a week to do this. I feel that taking 10 to 30 minutes daily is much easier than having to commit half a Sunday to chores but to each their own.

I always leave one day when I don't have do cleaning but that's just me. Places like garage, patio and dinning room aren't listed separately. however if you get in habit of a 10 minute clean you will soon create enough time to switch it up to do your patio or a garage. (For example, my guest room gets dusted, vacuumed and I wipe the floors but since its not used, I this day to tidy my garage or balcony or rooms)

What do you think? How do you keep your house organized and guest ready?

How to: build your confidence up...

If you read Letters to LALA land, you know that I like many people struggle with confidence and have for years. As a kid, I got picked on because I liked reading and kept my toys in boxes; I also have a very wild imagination that I worried myself sick over everything (from what to wear, to worst case scenario like when zombies attack or I got kidnapped). My teenage years were super  awkward; I was taller than most boys, school came naturally and I preferred to play soccer with the boys than play dress up with the girls… this meant I was usually picked on or bullied and sadly this carried over into my twenties. I realize that everyone deals with insecurity for one reason or another, so for last few years, I have found some ways to deal with self doubt and build my confidence; I am not saying that I am always confident and self assure but these 5 things help:

1)Find a mentor. It is hard when you feel like you are alone and that you are alone going through this.  Find someone who inspires you and learn as much from them as you can… Having someone to just talk or to ask for help makes a world of difference.

2) Ask for help.  This and finding a mentor go hand in hand but never be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak and most will want to help; you may be surprised at how forthcoming people are to help.

3) Exercise. A lot of confidence issue arise from how you look (or how you think you look) which I know shouldn’t play a role, but reality is if you are healthier and are active you are less likely concerned with “physical image” but are focus on the health benefits.

4) Do (hot) yoga. Having an hour to completely shut your mind off and connect with your breath is probably the best feeling; one hour of yoga a week can change your whole mood and make you overall happier. (Meditation works as well if you are not a yoga person.)

5) Take risks. Do one thing different or new every week at minimum. Get out there and do the things you’re most scared of, conquering the fears will make you more confident.

 What do you do to be more confident?

Five Affiliate Programs You Need to Know About Now

Most people start a blog because they have something to say but also to make money. While there is many ways to make money from blogging, I recently started looking into affiliate marketing. Honestly, I know I m late to the game but there is no time like the present to learn and try new things.

Affiliate marketing is when you share a brand/persons product link on your website and then receive a commission for any purchases made through your link. There is few different affiliate marketing programs - shopping sites (amazon), affiliate networks, and private affiliate programs.

Most important part about finding the right affiliate program is to find promote products/services your target audience (niche/following) will enjoy learning about. You can promote affiliate programs by writing a product review, linking to a product in a relevant post, or placing an affiliate banner on your site. I did some research and landed on these five high paying affiliate programs for fashion bloggers and start making money today.

ShareASale has been in business for over 19 years, exclusively as an affiliate marketing network. They feature directories of companies looking for affiliate marketers to promote their products or services. Once you join the network as an affiliate you will be able to apply to individual affiliate programs that interest you.

Amazon Associates takes advantage of the biggest online marketplace on earth, Amazon! This affiliate network, called Amazon Associates, allows you to tap into over a million products to advertise to your customers. You can create links, banners and even a landing page on amazon for it.

CJ Affiliate by Conversant was formerly known as Commission Junction. CJ reaches millions of consumers shopping online through their affiliate marketing network. The Conversant, Inc. companies include some big names like trip advisor.

Rakuten Affiliate Network One of the top Affiliate Networks in Canada. They have some of the top Retail Brands as clients and recently have made strides within Canada ecommerce world.

ShopStyle Collective is a great way to monetize your content, and is super easy to use. It can help you grow your brand and audience with data, and innovative tools. This would work primality for style bloggers but they have other links on the website.

The choices I’ve listed above are the affiliate networks that I’m most familiar with. I use those today  and I knows not a complete list of all the good affiliate networks as there is SO many. I found that these networks have a fit in a lot of niches - from travel, style to mommy bloggers as they offer a huge variety,

I would love to know what you think; if you know of any good affiliate networks, please share them in comments.