favorite things: pinterest

Hello friends!

Today I was thinking...it's been a while since I've done a favorite things post, so here I am to remedy that!

One of my new favorite things is a nifty website called Pinterest. I've had an account on Pinterest for several months now, but only just recently started using it more regularly.

You may already be an avid user of this nifty site...but if not, you might be asking, "What is Pinterest?" Well then, I will explain...it's basically a virtual pinboard where you pin images from around the web to collect inspiration for a variety of categories. I have several pinboards (and they just keep multiplying) including fashion, hair, for the home, and quotes. It's really neat to look back and see the things you've pinned to your boards. It's a good way to feel inspired and get a better sense for your personal style.

You can also follow other people's boards to be inspired by the style of others. It's a lot of fun!

One thing I really like and appreciate about Pinterest is that it keeps track of the link and source of where you pinned your image from. For example, if you pin a dress from Anthropologie that you really like...you can later go back and look at that original listing and purchase it at a later date. It's like a visual bookmarking tool.

If you want, you can follow my boards at pinterest.com/tiffanyzajas/

Do you use Pinterest? If yes (or if you go create an account right now), feel free to leave a link to your board in the comments. I'd love to see what things you're pinning! :)

Lots of Love,
-Tiffany

favorite things: blogs

I love blogs. And the blogs that I really love are the ones when I read them I feel inspired and the urge to be more creative. I don't always have the time to read them every day, but when I do have a chance there I have a few go-to blogs that are my absolute favorites.

And now I'm going to share a few of them with you! :) Aren't you excited?!

A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess is written by the super-multi-talented Elsie Flannigan. Her blog is one of the most creative things I have ever discovered. She's a designer, entrepreneur, artist, craft guru, etc. Her posts are filled to the brim with so much crafty eye candy it makes me drool. 

images property of A Beautiful Mess

Rockstar Diaries

Rockstar Diaries chronicles of the life of Naomi (a.k.a. Taza), her husband, and their bulldog Kingsley. When I first stumbled upon this blog I fell in love with the fun optimism that was in each post. Naomi shares photographs and stories of all their fun daily adventures, and you can't help but feel like you know them personally after reading a few pages (and I like to imagine that Kinglsey and Max would be the best of friends if they met in real life).

images by Leo Patrone

The Pioneer Woman

I'm sure most of you have heard of The Pioneer Woman. But in the chance that you haven't, I simply must share this one with you. The Pioneer Woman is the mother of all blogs (in my personal opinion). Ree Drummond is a blogging legend...she started her blog by just sharing stories from her life on the ranch with her  husband and kiddos. Now, her blog has turned into quite the phenomenon. As a result, she has now published her own cookbook (her recipes are AMAZING!), has written her love story which she is turning into a book, and already has movie deal which is rumored to be starring Reese Witherspoon!

I could spend hours scouring the many pages of her blog. She shares everything from daily confessions, recipes, photography tips, homeschooling resources, and more! 

images property of The Pioneer Woman

Promise Tangeman

Promise Tangeman is a designer, crafter, artist, and photographer. Her blog is another one that is just full of beautiful inspiration. I love all of her designs and her DIY and 5 Things I Love posts are some of my favorites. She's so talented in everything she does and her sweet spirit is really evident in all of her posts.

images property of Promise Tangeman

So, there you have it--some of my all-time favorite blogs! I hope you go and check each of them out and leave feeling inspired.

What are your favorite blogs? Feel free to leave links to them in the comments below. I love discovering new fun blogs to visit!

Lots of smiles,

-Tiffany

favorite things: moleskine notebooks + sharpie pens.

From a very young age I have had a love for stationery, paper goods, and writing utensils. As much as I love my Google Calendar, Gmail, and the many technologies we have today...there's nothing like writing something down with a good ole pen and paper.

When I was in high school, I would sometimes take notes in class and then copy them over by hand in a nice notebook when I got home. Yes, maybe I was a little OCD...or, perhaps it was just a unique method of retaining information. We may never know. 

Over the years I have tried many different journals, notebooks, and a variety of pens. And after some time I have come to discover my absolute favorites that I now cannot live without.

And I'm now going to share them with you.

Moleskine Notebooks - Husband introduced me to these notebooks when we first got married, and I've never looked back since! I love everything about these notebooks. The paper, the simple black cover, the bookmark, the accordion folder in the back to stash receipts, post-its, and ticket stubs. My favorites are the Large Ruled Notebook and the Large Squared Notebook. I also have the 12-month Weekly Planner that I'm quite fond of as well. It doesn't matter what size or type you get...you really can't go wrong with Moleskine. Trust me. You'll love them!

Sharpie Pens - I have been a fan of Sharpie markers for quite some time now. I'm pretty sure I own one in every color! But it wasn't until last year that I discovered the amazingness that is Sharpie Pens. They are advertised to not bleed through paper...and by george, it's true! I really love the fine point felt tip and the consistent flow of ink. Love them. 

Combined, Moleskine Notebooks and Sharpie Pens are quite the dynamic duo. 

What about you? Do you have a favorite type of notebook, stationery, or writing utensil? Or do you prefer to go digital all the way? Please do share in the comments below! I love hearing your thoughts. :)

Happy writing,

Tiffany 

favorite things: for right now

I haven't been the best at updating the blog lately. I'm trying to find a good balance for this thing...something I'm still trying to figure out. I appreciate you guys sticking with me through it though. :) I love all of your comments and messages and getting to share bits of our life with you!

I think it's about time for another favorite things post! Here are some of my favorite things for right now:

1. Southern Savers - I absolutely LOVE this blog! It has saved me so much money, it's crazy. Each week they post the best deals for all the southern grocery stores: Publix, Kroger, Food Lion, Bi-Lo, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc. And it also lists which coupons you need to use to make it an even better deal! Such a time and money saver. Love it so much!

2. Castle - Jonathan and I made the mistake of watching this one night when one of our favorite shows was a re-run. Now we're hooked. But thankfully it's not a LOST kind of hooked...haha, don't think I could handle another one of those. Castle is murder mystery show that has a good dose of comedy mixed in. It reminds me of Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder, which were some of my favorites growing up. Captain Hammer from Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog is the lead character...you can't beat that.

3. The Book Depository - Husband discovered this amazing online bookstore. You can get pretty much any book for cheaper than Amazon price...with FREE SHIPPING! We haven't ordered anything from it yet, but next time we buy a book...you betcha we're gonna get it from here!

4. The Power of a Praying Wife - This book is another one of those life changing books for me. It's really helped me focus less on myself during my prayer time. As wives, praying for our husbands should be a given, but this book helped me move from saying a quick prayer to spending some heartfelt time seriously praying for my man. If you're married or getting married, I highly recommend this book. Read it and let me know how your life has changed. :)

5. 30 Day Shred - Today was my 4th day doing this workout...and boy, is it a WORKOUT. After Day 1 I had to take a couple days off because my muscles were so extremely sore I could barely move, haha. This week it's gotten easier each time and I already feel stronger and healthier and I'm starting to see the results I'm wanting. I didn't know you could get that good of a workout from an exercise video...and for only 20 minutes a day! Yep, it's a favorite.

How about you? What are some of your favorite things for right now?

favorite things: photography related

Yes, my friends. You heard right. It is time for another installment of favorite things! Woot woot!

I get lots of emails and messages from people asking me what my favorite photography equipment is, and what I use to edit my photos. So, I thought to myself..."Self, what better opportunity to answer these questions than in a favorite things post!"

(Please don't judge. I blame my weird mood on the cold medicine I had to take this morning.)

:)

1. Shootsac - This is my absolute favorite bag to carry around with me at weddings and on shoots. It is perfect for keeping my favorite lenses at arms reach when I need them...I also stick my memory cards, extra batteries, and Burt's Bee's lip balm in there! Now, they are slightly more expensive than the typical bag...but they're not your typical bag either. I was blessed to win my Shootsac in an online giveaway...and I love love love it! Worth saving your pennies for it.

2. Lightroom - a.k.a. Lifesaver. This program seriously saves me soooo much time! I import all of my RAW images into Adobe Lightroom and do all of my color adjusting in there. Lightroom is great because you can do batch editing, where you edit one photo and then can apply those edits to a slew of other images. Brilliant!

3. Justin & Mary Marantz' Spread the Love Tour - I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago...but seriously, going to this workshop was absolutely amazing! It was such a time of encouragement and inspiration. Even now...weeks later, I can't stop thinking of the principles that Justin and Mary shared during Spread the Love. If you're a small business owner, or want to one day open your own small business...I highly encourage you to go to this workshop!

4. 50mm 1.8 lens - This was the first lens that I bought after my kit lens, and I LOVE it! When I first got my DSLR camera, I was slightly overwhelmed with how expensive lenses are (ha, I'm still overwhelmed with that)...but this lens only costs about $100 and it is so amazing. If you don't have one already, please go get it. I love it so much I might just adopt it. We'll see...might have to convince Jonathan on that one.

5. Seat Belt Camera Strap - Husband got me this super cute strap for Christmas. It's turquoise and matches my branding for tiffany zajas photography. And I love it!

So, how about you...what are some of your favorite photography-related things? :)

Happy Thursday everyone!

P.S. Rumor has it we're supposed to get snow tonight and tomorrow morning. I'm crossing my fingers! I want to build a snowman.

favorite things: for right now

I love finding joy in little, simple things. Each day there are small things that make me smile, and I love sharing them with you guys.

So, here are some things that have made me smile lately...a few of my favorite things, if you will.

1. The Big Bang Theory - This show makes me laugh until my sides hurt. Sheldon is my favorite and makes me smile. Certain aspects of the nerdiness in the characters reminds me of some people very close to me...*cough*husband*cough*Dad*cough*brother*cough* :)

2. Bodycology's Lotion in Vanilla Romance - Every time I put this on, I have to remind myself not to eat my arm. It smells delicious and makes me crave cupcakes (which maybe isn't such a good thing...ah well.)

3. Buffalo Wild Wings - Last night husband brought some wings home for dinner, and it made my heart dance! Also, Tuesdays are great for BWW because they have Wing Tuesdays!

4. How to Win Friends & Influence People - EVERYONE needs to read this book. Seriously. It is life changing, and I'm only on the fourth chapter! If you care at all about being a good friend and influencing people (and the world!) in a positive way...please read this book. It's a very easy read, and I think it should be re-read often. Go get it. Read it. Then tell everyone you know to read it. You won't regret it.

5. Gray nail polish - Black polish has been a favorite of mine for a couple years, but now gray nail polish is competing for my attention and adoration. It's lovely and goes with everything so I don't have to change my color on a daily basis. Yes, please!

What are some of your favorite things? Please do share! :)

autumn is here!

Today is the official first day of fall, and I am so excited about it! I absolutely love the changing seasons, and autumn is definitely one of my favorites.

I love everything about it: the crisp air (even though it's still 76 degrees in Nashville right now), the color and smell of autumn leaves, sipping on apple cider (hot or cold, I love it both ways), pulling out my sweaters and scarves from storage, baking apple crisp, making caramel apples, going to fall festivals, lighting my pumpkin spice candle, roasting marshmallows over an open fire, pumpkins and mums decorating the doorsteps of houses down every street, and having an excuse to dress Max up in his hot dog costume. :)

What are you looking forward to this fall?

{images via marthastewart.com}

Also, a couple new things I want to experience this fall: carving a pumpkin (that's right, I have never done it...and I think this is the year to change that!), and making these delicious pumpkin patch cupcakes!

a season for everything lovely.

One of my favorite things is experiencing the change in seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Each new season brings a new set of possibilities...and potential memories made. When asked which time of year is my favorite, my answer is all of them. I am equally excited to see each season arrive...full of potential and overflowing with opportunities. It is exciting, to say the least.

As spring slowly comes to a close and the summer months are upon us, I look forward to these things:

• cookouts on the grill {husband makes the best grilled chicken!}
• taking naps in my hammock {which we just bought a stand for, so we can actually use it now...yay!}
• the smell of freshly cut grass.
• the feeling of sunshine on my shoulders and in my hair.
• sipping fruit tea with husby as the sun goes down and talking about our present and our future together.
• fireworks.
• picnics in the park.
• summery music {i.e. the beach boys, the beatles, jack johnson, etc.}
• my wildflower garden blooming.
• fairs and carnival {i have a thing for cotton candy and ferris wheels}
• buying fresh flowers and quality produce at the farmer's market.
• painting my nails bright, fun, colors!
• taking lots of photographs in the lovely weather.
• going to the drive-in movies and munching on yummy treats.
  
• husband's senior recital.
• husband's graduation.
• our two year wedding anniversary.
• vacation together.

{photos taken in 2006 during "the dating years" at the fair}

What are some things about summer that you are looking forward to?

these are a few of my favorite things {when it's raining}

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

• wearing my polka dotted rain boots and splashing in the puddles
• kissing my husby underneath our extra large family umbrella
• curling up with my red fuzzy blanket and a good book
• writing a letter to a friend
• taking a nap while listening to the raindrops play music on my window pane
• watching a classic movie, such as: my fair lady, sabrina, or the sound of music
• drinking a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or tea
• the smell of fresh rain
  
• laughing at how prissy max gets when it's wet outside
  

{images by me}
what are some of your favorite things when it's raining?

these are a few of my favorite things {in the mornings}

These are a few of my favorite things {in the mornings}:

• waking up next to the love of my life and best friend of all time.
• coffee, coffee, and um, coffee.
• sunshine coming through the windows and birds singing good morning to me.
• hugs and kisses.
• stretching my arms wide over my head and feeling like i got a good night's rest.
• breakfast. whether it is waffles and bacon or vanilla yogurt and berries...yum!
• good morning greetings from my puppy...he acts like he hasn't seen us in years, and makes us feel oh-so-very loved.
• knowing that Jesus loves me, even when i sometimes wake up on the wrong side of the bed.
• knowing that today is a new day and full of so many opportunities.
• husband.

What are some of your favorite things in the mornings?

p.s. i am loving these cardboard love images!