Ah fall.

Where the leaves change + the weather gets crisp.

At least that's how it is for almost everyone where else in America this time of the year, but here in Nevada, were still hitting the triple digits.

No matter the triple digit weather, autumn is my favorite, and I'm definitely in an autumn state of mind.

Speaking of fall, today I wanted to talk about my love for home decor + show you some of the beautiful floral inspiration that I've come across.

First things first, I wanted to say thank you to BloomNation for even asking for my input on how I incorporate floral inspiration into my home + what kind of floral eye candy works well for my style. BloomNation is an online community marketplace for local florists, they cater to all your floral needs by handcrafting beautiful unique bouquets. You can type in your zip code to search local florists & choose the bouquet of your liking through their website.

If you would like to learn more about BloomNation + what they do please click here. Other wise, read on! ;)

If you are just now learning about my blog + myself, allow me to let you to tell you a little about me + my life. I am a proud military wife of an United States Airman. We've been stationed in Nevada for 2 years now, and we've been in our apartment for about a year. In the past, I have bought the "cheap" decor, thinking it would be easier on our wallets, but I wasn't thinking long term, + I'm still adding new things to our apartment to make it more home-y to this day. The great part about decorating is being able to express yourself, it's like clothes for our homes + besides it's great to find new ways to add a bit of your own personality to your home.

A lot of people don't know where to start, especially in an apartment because you're limited on what you can + can't do. I did a post before hand on what I find easier to make your home feel more like a home, I didn't include flowers, but I sure should have, flowers add a since of class + wholeness to your home. Whether it be real or fake - what ever your budget allows, flowers help your home feel like home. You can add them to your living room coffee table, side table, your dining room table, in the kitchen, or in your bedroom + guest rooms. I am partial to sunflowers, they just seem so happy + full of life, which is my philosophy for life, live it to the fullest. I've decorated for fall + have incorporated my favorite sunflowers. Most of my decor, I have pre-bought. I try to use what I have, or what I can find on sale, for at a good price.

I have shopped in: Ross, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Home Goods, Kirklands, + Kohl's. My tip is also, if you like something, buy it. That is if you cannot DIY, or it cost that much if not more DIY-ing it.

I love fresh flowers in the fall + in the spring, my bouquet for the living room has sunflowers, mums, + more. It definitely is fit for fall + beautiful eye candy. It's the perfect balance of fall + decor which incorporates my favorite flowers!

Now what are my top 5 favorite floral decor eye candy? I list them below! (In no special order, they're all great!)

1. French Country Cottage had very beautiful antique + charm about her fall decor that was simple, yet so timeless.






All rights for these photos go to the French Country Cottage Blog



2. Home Stories A to Z had her fall decor + floral inspiration that felt just so feminine and pretty! I just fell in love with it all. Call me OBSESSED.






All rights for this photo go to the Home Stories A to Z Blog.



3. Jones Design Company is hands down one of my favorite blogs + she gives out a free fun autumn printable in her home design tour blog post! Her home decor just felt so fresh + beautiful.






All Rights for this photo goes to The Jones Design Company blog.



4. Inspired By Charm is my top favorite...I might be a little biased because sunflowers are my favorite, but can you really blame me? I mean look how gorgeous!






All Rights for this photo go to the Inspired By Charm blog.



5. Pinspiring Fall Floral Decor DIY - This pin I found gorgeous + very easy to remake for your home, even if you're not a huge DIY-er. It tells you step by step how to make the vase + you can pick out different flowers to your liking. :)





All rights for this photo + tutorial go to U-Create.

Country Music Festival Must-Haves + Tips!

Hey Y'all!! I've been to enough concerts and music festivals to know what should and shouldn't be brought. That is why on today's blog, I decided to give y'all my guide of what to bring and what to leave at home, as well as tips + tricks! Enjoy!

Need to save your phone battery?

Usually this is my number one priority because I'm a huge social media enthusiast. I really do have a problem where I get so distracted by social media. My tips are: use your phone usage wisely (wait to text people back, hold out when you want to use those fun photo apps, also do not record all the music on video if you want your phone to last! this will drain your battery faster), Close all apps on your phone when not using, wait to post a majority of your photos till the end of the night/the next morning (trust me on this). Also, If you need to check the time, wear a watch instead, this way you don't keep clicking your phone on! (Don't forget to bring your car charger and wall charger but leave in car because not every festival has a charging place)

What To Get Info on Before the Actual Festival Starts:

• Parking/shuttle (this is always a major problem with any major event with a lot of people)
• Good cheap food places around the Festival just incase you decide not to spend an arm and leg on that expensive festival food because lets face it 5 dollars for corn on the cob seems pretty expensive when you just spent all that money on a shuttle pass and your ticket to even go to the event.
• Make sure if you are staying at a hotel to look how far the distance is from the actual festival (I'm sure if you are an avid concert/festival goer, you already know this lol but this is without assuming you're staying at a camp ground)
• the closest Starbucks or coffee shop because if it's a 3-Day event, you're going to need it since you're probably going to be getting up in the mornings after staying out late (count for traffic, nobody can prepare you for that, it's inevitable) 
• The Weather! (rain or shine performances all day of everyday)
• If there is an app! (this will help instead of carrying a paper of all the times, be sure to map out which performances you want to go to & a rough idea when you take a lunch/dinner break)

Should I Bring a Purse or No?

I personally only carry around a small satchel or a wristlet for my I.D. & Money. You don't need to bring anything major really, it's a drag carrying a huge purse around all day especially during the summer festivals...Trust me you'll thank me later. ;) (You can also carry around a small back pack to your liking, but it will be checked when you get to the gate)

Want to bring a camera/folding chair/cooler/weapons?

Usually all but the folding chair is banned from most of the music festivals, but not all, just make sure on the websites. I wish that they would let camera's in, but that's only wishful thinking (I'm a shutterbug). I also know this goes without saying but leave all the weapons at home, because just because someone cut you in the beer line it doesn't give you a right to cut or shank them, yes they are crappy for doing that, but trust me, just enjoy the music. :)

What should I wear?

I'll be doing a blog next week on my favorite looks for the festival but hint: leave the heels at home. ;)

What I Suggest Bringing:

• Sunblock/sunglasses
• Cowboy hat/baseball hat
• Blanket/towel to sit on
• Money/I.D.
• Chapstick/lip gloss (sometimes I carry powder & blush with me too if I have the room so I can freshen up, otherwise if my car is within walking distance I just keep it in the car)
• Spray bottle with fan (it gets hot! especially with that humidity in the south)
• Pack of gum
• Bottled water (as long as it's allowed, again festivals vary on rules)
• Wet napkins/tissues
• Small Snack (again if allowed)
•  Especially if you have kids a few band-aids wouldn't hurt to bring just incase.
• Hair tie(s), if you have long hair you understand and sometimes you just need to bring a back up.
• Poncho (just incase)
• You, your friends, and a plan to have fun!

I hope y'all enjoy all the amazing musicians and have a great time with your friends/family! Stay tuned for next weeks blog full of amazing outfits just for the festival season.

How I Got Started: Creating + Blogging

I had a planned blog posting this week, but something was laying heavy on my mind. First things first, I wanted to give a little bit of background information on how I was turned onto blogging. I hope that's okay, I figured since I have a little bigger audience now that this would be the perfect time to let y'all know how I got started and the sort of pros and cons of it.

I'm pretty sure previously I mentioned all throughout school English and any writing class was always my strong suit. Having social anxiety and always being on the shyer side, it would only make sense that I would have such a strong voice via Social Media. As soon as I graduated within my first semester I started reading more blogs and stumbled upon tumblr. I made my first personal blog and loved it, but I wanted to do what I loved most, writing and graphic design. I kept writing on my personal blog, and I made a new blog for graphics. I made a total of 3 graphic blogs between then and now, but the last one was the one that took off the most. I worked extremely hard with a few lovely ladies, but mostly took on the major load by myself, even with being busy in classes. I took a few breaks of course, I had to eat, and I did take a few vacations, but a majority of the time I had to keep it going if I wanted people to keep requesting. More and more graphic blogs started popping up and before I knew it, everyone was doing graphic requests and making new graphic blogs. Believe it or not, the competition isn't why I stopped doing graphic requests for free. This brings me to what I have to say.

Cons that I have had to deal with while blogging + making graphics for free:

• Not just the designers of these blogs themselves, but many people who had Facebook pages were copying each other and saving graphics, then taking it into Microsoft paint and writing peoples names on them as "requests". Originality was very hard to find or to accomplish because every time someone would make something new and fresh, someone else used it, or someone would take someone else's work and use it as their own, and that's not how we should be respect other peoples property. Their work should be respected.

• When I would confront people about it who were guilty doing such things, honestly I could be so sweet with soft tone and everything and it wouldn't matter I have been blocked from various Instagram's, Facebook pages, just for asking if they could put credit on my work. (hence why there will most likely be copyright on everything..sorry) and I can't tell you how frustrating it is that people don't respect you enough to at least be nice and copy-paste the URL under the photo they take. I completely understand how musicians feel about their music just by dealing with this, people think it's no big deal, but it should be.

• I did graphics for free because I wasn't at the stage where I could charge much anyway, I didn't want to start my own business, or Etsy shop while in school there would've been double the pressure. Just like my photographs, I didn't want to put a price on them till I graduated. A lot of people will complain about photographer prices, but camera's, lens', and all other equipment costs. Trust me, they deserve the price they ask for, if they deliver quality work.

• Words matter, especially if they are your own and make a great deal to you. So when mine was taken from me as far as my writing goes, it hurt. Even as something as simple as an about me or a quote, someone is still the artist of those words. To take them without permission is kind of like stealing words from someone else's essay or a book a famous author wrote and putting it in your paper without citing it. We should have this programmed in our brains by the amount of times we heard this growing up in school, plagiarizing is not tolerated in the school system, so it shouldn't be tolerated in real life either. Cite it. Cite it. Cite it.

Pros that I have had to deal with while blogging + making graphics for free:

• I have had an outlet - I am finally at my comfort zone where I can share my beliefs, outlooks, and opinions, even though not everyone will agree, it's still nice to be able to have a voice as a young woman.

•  I have 'met' so many awesome people just by making graphics and it getting so big, social media doesn't always have to be seen in a bad light, sometimes it gets you where you want to go as far as a blogger. So far so good.

• I am my own boss. If I want to blog Friday, I get to blog friday, if I want to do a giveaway, I will be able to do a giveaway. I am happy to be able to work on my own schedule.

• Even though I'm usually nail biting my way through math class on a daily basis, I get to be creative here, and this counts as my 'me time' . If you're not careful blog postings can become more like a chore instead of you enjoying it, but I don't feel that way, sometimes I don't always get to post because school is my number one priority, but I am trying to always keep an extra post at hand, just incase. I genuinelly enjoy sharing my ideas, tips, tricks, opinions, outlooks, and beliefs with y'all. I hope the feeling is mutual. :)

I hope y'all enjoy this weeks posting. I'll see y'all next week, have a great weekend! XO

I Am Aria Belle. Sass Queen.

Woof Woof! Hello people of the internet! Since my mommy felt low on time this week with school about to start, she asked her co-partner and best friend, Aria Belle (that's me!) for a spot on this weeks blog. Now I know what you're thinking, a dog writing a blog?! What is this craziness?! My mom thought it would be kind of fun to tell you some of my most inner thoughts, and I have to warn you most of them are about food. (can you blame me?!) Even if you're not a dog person, perhaps you could give me a chance because my mommy thinks I am just too cute! so I think you will think so too! Alright enough of the butt sniffing, I meant kissing, or was it sniffing? I often get those confused but hey that's okay let's get to it!

• I love people I actually just like to bark at people so they pay me attention.
• When I get said attention I like to get sassy, because I don't like to be touched. Duh.
• But, if I am bribed with food I am totally okay with that. (I love food!)
• If you call me, even if you know me, I probably still won't come to you unless you have food. (I tried to warn you)
• Don't you dare think you are getting attention from my mommy unless it's with me in the middle and I say you're okay. My mommy thinks highly of my opinion, and if I don't like you, she won't either. (mommy made me cross that one out because she said it's not true, but it is)
• Fine, my mommy will probably like you, but I take up most of her time because I love getting pampered and belly rubs.
• She also gives me treats! Which reminds me I still have a treat from when she felt bad about leaving me earlier. BRB! enjoy this cute photo of me while I eat this delicious treat!

• I'm back! Have I mentioned that I like to get into things? even things that I'm not supposed to and blame it on someone breaking in the house. I know mommy never believes me because she asks me why someone would break in just to bite a hole in her underwear.
• I'm loyal. I'm a mommy's girl, but I love daddy too, either way these are my humans and I love them even if I have to whine my head off for their scraps.
• It's just obvious if you have a puppy they should get all (mommy's edit) some of your scraps.
• I yell at ambulances, I know their just doing their job, but my inner wolf tells them to shut up because they should do it quieter. Just saying.
• I hate the blankey monster, just because it's soft doesn't mean it isn't scary or won't get you, I don't understand why my daddy finds pleasure in laughing at my pain. 
• Sometimes, I "accidentally" go number two off of the pad because I think it's important to keep my mommy & daddy in their place.
•  I hate car rides unless we get to the drive thru window and I smell the food, I'm automatically a saint.
• Do not tell me no about getting the heating pad, because I will paw at you and whine at you till you get annoyed and fed up. That's my heating pad and I get it when I want it no matter how bad your bones ache.
• Don't even worry about getting colors that match for blankets in the living room, we all know they are all gonna come back to me.
• Last but not least, I'm after all your bottle caps. Don't think you can open a bottled drink just to close it back up because once that sucker is open it's mine!

I am here to tell you I am more than a pet or an animal to my family, no matter how demanding or sassy I get, I will always lick my mommy's tears away, cuddle up with her at night, and eat the top crusts off of the sandwich bread that she won't touch. She is my human and I am her fur baby. We'd be incomplete with out each other. Love your fur kids, treat them with respect, bring them in when it's cold, and be sure of the responsibility when you get them, and always give them extra treats. They have feelings just like humans and sometimes you don't always know when the last time you'll be able to walk them or cuddle up to them. Just like human's their time is precious. 

Mommy and I would like to dedicate this blog to my sister, and her first fur baby Angel. I didn't know you for long, but my mommy said that you gave the best hugs. We love you. Rest In Peace.

XOXO Aria Belle