madewithjoy

Puppy Friday With Solid Gold Pets

Before summer ends, I wanted to make a matching outfit of me and Coco and a few weeks ago, I finally got a chance to do that. We went to the dog park in Hollywood and we got so many compliments! Coco also had so much fun running around with her fellow doggies!

Last month, she actually tried Solid Gold Mighty Mini and she couldnt stop eating it. Coco is normally picky with her food so I was glad to see that she loved this one! This grain- and gluten-free recipe is made with USA-sourced beef, nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, and a balanced blend of superfoods with omega fatty acids. She loved the savory lamb, sweet potato recipe – especially the wet food – it was also filled with plus nutrient-packed superfoods like vitamin E-rich cranberries.

I was thinking of doing more blog posts like this one where Coco and I have matching outfits – what do you guys think of this blog post?

Xo,

Joy

3 Reasons Why You Should Go To The Fair

When I think of fairs, it reminds me of my childhood – when my grandpa would take me and my cousins to the fair every summer in the Philippines. If you still haven’t gone to the fair – you definitely should & here’s three reasons why~

There’s animals & there’s a section that you can actually play with them!

2. Almost every corner is instaworthy – especially the rides! Go ride them ~

3. It’s pretty romantic. Go on a stroll with your significant other & enjoy the night. Also, there’s curly fries & never ending junk food!

And I’m not sure if they still have this on Groupon but they have a deal for 2 tickets + a parking space for $29 only. It’s such a steal.

Dress: www.urbanoutfitters.com

Jacket: Rosebowl Flea Market

Photos Taken By: Eduardo Salazar

September 18, 2018

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How She Quit Her Full Time Job of Managing A Spa To Pursue Her Passion Of Helping Others Through Social Media

Hi Babes,

For this week’s Influencer Tips Thursday, we are learning so much from Addie & how she quit her full time job managing a spa to helping others live a healthy lifestyle through social media. She has so much insider insights so let’s get to it!

Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Addie Pratico and I am currently living in Alabama.

What is your brand about and what made you start it?
My brand is geared towards health & fitness. Living a healthy lifestyle & how to be the best version of you.

Do you have another job outside of being a (blogger/influencer/entrepreneur)?
A couple months ago I had quit my full time job of managing a spa to pursue my passion
of helping others through social media to live healthier lives.

Is it difficult to balance your work life and passion project(s)?
I do not find it difficult to balance it because; I do not consider this work for myself. I
have always been very passionate on helping others. When I found this opportunity of
being able to work from home and help others live a healthier and happy lifestyle, I fell in love with it immediately.

What do you love the most about being an influencer?
I love being able to make that positive impact to others lives. I love the fact that I’m
serving my purpose on helping others and sharing this gift of getting others started on
their own fitness journey.

What do you think is the hardest thing about being an influencer?
Hardest thing for me about being an influencer would be the fact I had to step outside my comfort zone. Before I started, I was barely even active on social media. I was very
private and shy about sharing my life with others on social media. It took me a while to
get out of that comfort zone and I am so glad I did. I’ve now been able to inspire and
motivate others by just sharing my healthy lifestyle on social media.

What are three tips you can give to someone who also wants to be an influencer like you?
The three tips that I can give would be:
1. Step outside of your comfort zone. Do not be afraid to share your lifestyle with others
and get yourself out there. You never know who could be searching for someone just like
you.
2. Personal development. Whether its just reading a gratitude book for only five minutes in the morning or listening to a podcast on your way to work. Personal development was a game changer for me and has helped me keep a positive mindset. Even through social media others can feed off that positive energy you give off.
3. Be okay with failing. It’s okay if something you had planned didn’t go the way you
thought it would. Figure out a different way to implement it and never give up on your
passion.

What are your goals and where do you see yourself a year from now? Where do you hope to be in 3 – 5 years?
A year from now I see myself having created a successful and thriving business. I’ll be
leading a team of women who are just as passionate as me about helping others live
healthier lifestyles.
Three to five years from now, I will be making six figures in my business and will have
helped so many others get on track with their fitness. I will have helped many others out
there create their own thriving businesses, all while doing this from the comfort of your
own home.

Who/what inspires you or keeps you motivated to do what you do?
There a couple people in my life who keeps me motivated.
First is my fiance who has always believed in me from the start. I am lucky that he has
been so supportive of my business and will do what he can to help me in anyway that he
can. He pushes me to work hard and to never give up on myself.
Second would be my own mentor who helped me get started in this business. She is one
of the most hardworking individuals I have met. Just watching her and seeing the way she has been succesful, motitvates me to follow in her footsteps and that by working hard and staying consistant that you can make your dreams come true.

What’s your favorite app aside from instagram?
Pinterest hands down. I am always scrolling through pinterest for recipe ideas,
inspirational quotes, and so much more!
What’s your next project and how can we support you?

My next project is I’ll be focusing on growing my team this month. I feel like this
community is already so supportive and I just love the fact that we are all girl bosses
working hard to be successful.

How important is it to you to make genuine connections/friendships through social
media/in our industry & why?
To show people out there that I truly care about others. I want to help others in anyway
that I can. I love the fact that I’m able to connect and form friendships with others and
really get to know them. By forming those relationships helps me get a better grasp on
what I can do to help them.

What does female empowerment and girls supporting girls mean to you?
For me it means that even if we have different interests/businesses we run, that we can
still support each other. It is not easy being a girl boss and I have so much respect for the
women working towards their own goals and dreams who are willing to hustle and put in the work. It’s so important to keep each other motivated and show support, because it
does get hard at times.

Where can we find you in social media? (state your social media handles/blog/website)
My facebook: Adelia Graziela Pratico
Instagram: AddiePraticoFitness
My website: https://sites.google.com/view/addiepraticofit/home

What are you looking forward to the most from Influencer Girl Gang and what do you hope to acquire from joining us?
Having the supportive community and to learn from the other women in this group.

Hope this blogpost was helpful to other inspiring entrepreneurs out there to pursue their passion.

Xo,

Joy

September 13, 2018September 13, 2018

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17th Annual Claremont Village Wine Walk x Charriol

It’s always wine o’ clock somewhere! Last weekend, I was invited to go to the 17th Annual Claremont Wine Walk and boy, was it so much fun! We started our walk with I Like Pie Bakeshop & not only did I fell in love with their Orange Moscato but oh my gosh, their Strawberry Rhubarb pie is to die for!!! Definitely coming back there whenever my sweet tooth starts kicking in.

We then kept going with our wine walk and had to stop by at this cute little alley and took a quick #ootd picture as I also made this two piece printed rose outfit just for this event!

As we kept going with our walk, we found more shops handing out yummy wine, food and saw some really cool artwork too!

Eddie and I also found this unique gift shop, Rio De Ojas! They have so many cute little things and decorations you can easily give to anybody, especially for halloween just around the corner!

We then hopped off to Noren’s Nursery, which is one of my favorite nurseries in Claremont! I want this to be my backyard someday with their little succulents! Just come check them out. They have some serious interior goals!!

Another shop I fell in love with is Speckled Hens. This store has a hand-selected, ever-changing merchandise, seasonal treasures and holiday displays, creating a unique shopping experience every time you visit.

And right next door is Linda Lloyd Antiques selling antiques & interiors! When I get my own house someday, definitely coming back to shop here for decors.

Another shop that’s worth the stop in Claremont is Amelie. It’s a cute little store that carries high end brands like Free People, 7 For All Mankind, and Lolli Swim.

And for our last stop, we had to end our night with ice cream from Bert and Rocky’s. I don’t even remember what we got (hence from drinking wine all night) but it tasted like premium strawberry ice cream mixed with fine wine and everything is made in their little shop!

Once again, thank you Claremont Village for sharing this wine-derful experience with me! Such an awesome way to end my summer!

Also, super in love with this dangling Marguerite Charriol necklace! It’s light, elegant, gorgeous & easily goes with any outfit/season inspired by the Daisy flower! I normally don’t like wearing jewelry as I easily get irritated and I dont like it when they’re super heavy and it hurts my neck but this one was just perfect.

We seriously didn’t want this night to end. Will I see you in the next wine walk? Dont forget to look out for the tickets next year as they sell out fast! Hope you babes had an amazing summer! Now who’s ready for fall?

Outfit: Made by yours truly <3

Necklace: Charriol

Photos: Eduardo Salazar

Xo,

Joy

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018

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How To Create Content + Make It Work With Your Lifestyle

A few of the questions people ask me are: how do you create content? how do you know what people like? or what will attract more followers?

So for today’s segment of thursday’s influencer tips & tricks, I wanted to share all the answers to those questions.

When creating content, I always go back to what I represent. So before you create your content ask yourself these few questions:

What is your blog about?
What is your niche? Have you found it yet? If not, it’s time to define it.
Who is your target market & why?
Why do you do what you do?
Are you willing to put in work and time to create brand new content all the time?

If I answered these questions, this would be my answers:

What is your blog about? Made With Joy is a fashion, lifestyle + adventure blog who features the latest fashion trends, travel destinations and insider influencer tips and tricks.
What is your niche? Have you found it yet? If not, it’s time to define it. My niche are millennials who love fashion, traveling and who just wants to live their best life. They like going to festivals, wine tasting, the newest adventure around the corner or going to road trips. They are very artsy and creative and love life and adventuring. They’re always looking for the next thing to do with their girl squad or with their significant other.
Who is your target market & why? My target market are females between ages 21 – 35 who wants to live their best life and are tired of their 9-5 job, that just wants to escape and create the most out everything. And I am here to teach them how they can achieve that and how it is possible to live that kind of lifestyle.
Why do you do what you do? I do what I do because I love girl power + female empowerment and how important it is to pursue our passion + also live our dreams out loud at the same time. I am here to inspire others that it’s possible and I may not be where I want to be yet but I’m on my way there.
Are you willing to put in work and time to create brand new content all the time? Yes, absolutely.

Now your turn! After you answered all those questions. It’s now time to jot down your plan of action. Let’s get to it.

Scheduling is key. What does your busy schedule look like? Are you super swamped that you don’t even have time to create anymore? Or be inspired? So get to scheduling. Schedule some “alone or me time” in your week. Then schedule your create content time, and your editing time and your having fun time and your family and friends time. Do what’s best for you and what will make you happy.
Start saying “NO” and mean it. Do you even sleep? And eat? Do you take care of your body? Your mental and emotional health? I’m here to remind you that an unhealthy body/mind is useless when it comes to creating. If you’re physically, emotionally, and mentally drained – how do you think you’ll have the time and energy to create? Maybe it’s time for you to start saying “no” to partying every friday night with your girls or brunch every sunday. I’m not saying to give up on your social life but definitely be smart about it and who you’re spending your time with and why.
Make creating content a part of your lifestyle. Once you have done those first two tips – it’s now time to look in your planner/calendar and start making creating content a part of your lifestyle. You almost have to live and breathe it. Always carry your camera with you or your phone. For example, I went to Vegas last weekend for my grandma’s 80th bday and while I was there I got to shoot for a beauty brand and a partnership with a hotel. Although, I still spent a lot of time with my family, I squeezed in a few photoshoot sessions (which by now my family has been very supportive of me and understanding) I used to be embarrassed when I was first starting but now it just comes naturally to me. I don’t even have second thoughts. I just do it. It’s all about changing your mindset, rewiring and training your brain and making it happen.
Be organized, resourceful and be bold. Jot down all your ideas and find a way to squeeze them in your everyday life. Be intentional about it. Are you a food blogger? Start making your portfolio and visit a few restaurants + cafes. Once you have enough content, maybe you can now start pitching. Are you a fashion influencer? Every time you go to an event that you have to dress up or just simply look pretty, wear a fabulous outfit and ask your friends or even strangers to take photos of you! (I’ve honestly done this and it paid off. The first time I visited NYC, I woke up early to adventure on my own and it started snowing!!! I have never seen snow fall from the sky before and I totally asked a stranger to take a video of me twirling!) Was I embarrassed? Not really. I hesitated at first but I did it anyways as I’m never going to see him again.
Get out of your comfort zone. Are you an introvert who’s afraid of what people will say or think about you? Let go of that mindset and do something new. Take risks. Talk to strangers. Ask for help. Until not caring so much of what other people think of you no longer bothers you. As an influencer, it is very important for us to try something new in order for us to influence others. Are you an extrovert who’s the life of the party and cant seem to get it together? You have so many ideas but you can never find time to make them happen. (This is me) So here’s my tip! Find your quiet place (whether you set some time aside like waking up an extra hour to plan your day or a beach day once a week) and write down your goals, ideas and plans and make them happen. Do the first 4 steps above and once you’ve done those – make things happen! Stop just talking about it and actually put in the work.

Was this helpful? Let me know your thoughts and drop a comment below.

XO,

Joy

September 6, 2018

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How To Have A Relaxing Vegas Trip In A Budget

I’ve spent the past two weeks in Sin City and I’ve spent them there very differently. Two weeks ago, I went there for my boyfriend’s birthday and we did the whole day club + night clubs + restaurants. For Labor Day weekend, my whole family and I went there for my grandma’s 80th birthday & boy, was it a different experience! And I ain’t even mad about it!

I’m not sure if it has anything to do with age (I’m currently in my late twenties) but I actually enjoyed my relaxing weekend and after analyzing, comparing and contrasting the my last two weekends, I would have to say that I prefer the latter one…

Here’s how I enjoyed my Vegas Weekend without spending too much as I did the weekend before:

See a concert or a show & buy them ahead of time.

We went to see Air Supply, my grandparents’ favorite band. The tickets were about $39.99 each and we actually got pretty good seats. Buying tickets at least a few months beforehand is always a great tip to get them in a good price. I surprisingly enjoyed the show and knew a few of their songs.

2. Go swimming in your hotel’s pool.

It’s part of the resort fee that you already paid for; so take advantage of it. We stayed in Bally’s but since it’s part of the Caesar’s Entertainment Hotels, we can hop around and we decided to go to Paris Las Vegas swimming pool. I absolutely loved the view and it wasn’t too crowded like the day clubs!

3. Purchase a 24 hour buffet wristband through Caesars Las Vegas Buffets.

How it works is instead of paying $25 – $40 each buffet per person, you pay $50 – $70 once and you can pretty much “buffet hop” and eat literally as much as you can (we were there on a holiday weekend, so we had to pay more). My top two favorite buffets are: Le Village Buffet & Carnival World Buffet I’ve never been to Paris but the buffet dining is in a French village with traditional meals from France. I also love Rio’s iconic buffet as it has hundred of global items plus the impressive array of seafood, my fave!

4. Seriously, relax!

After going swimming and hopping around at buffets, I took a hot shower and put on Alya Skin. This pink clay mask is my new obsession. It left my skin feeling like it was made out of roses and it cleared my pores & took out all the nasties from my skin.

5. Go hotel hopping & appreciate art.

Not sure if you’ve ever done this but Las Vegas Hotels are pretty much like museums! I wish I had more time to actually see more but I didn’t have much time as I was too busy eating!

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018

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Influencer Essentials And Why You Need Them

As a blogger/influencer, it’s very important to carry the right things in order to be successful in what you do. A few of the things that I need the most are all in my High Sierra Backpack. I love that it includes a matching zippered accessory pouch, has side pockets, a core organizer with multiple pockets and key fob, adjustable drawstring closure and a place where you can put your tablet inside and that it’s water resistant!!!

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s actually inside.

an extra outfit
an extra pair of shoes + accessories

(it’s always to great to bring extra outfits so that you can make use of your time and place that you’re currently shooting in)

props (i personally love bringing props when I have photoshoots)
a mirror (i also always bring my long mirror in my car so i can see what i look like as i change from head to toe)
a laptop (when i have more time, after shoots, sometimes i get really excited and i like to edit right away.
a professional camera with a tripod (whenever, I’m not with a photographer – its great to have a tripod so you can always take photos of yourself)
bliss world lotion – a cult favorite moisturizer that’s rich & quick absorbing, leaving skin smooth and never greasy! – living in Cali – it’s so easy for us to get ashy (and you do not want to look ashy in your pics! TIP: if you can eliminate as much photoshopping in your photos later on – the better!
hcxo sleep mask – believe it or not, i actually need this as being on the road all the time, i sometimes have a hard time sleeping. It is made of 100% silk, the softest, most breathable sleep mask you’ll see me wear.
almay goddess gloss – i love bringing different colors of these with me because they keep my lips moisturized, smooth and never sticky and they’re made with pomegranate, raspberry and grape oils.
garden of life – if you know me, im always hungry! New GōL Bars are organic lifestyle bars that are made with just 8-to-10 simple whole food ingredients. I also love that it’s high in protein and fiber with no added sugars.

This post is sponsored by Her Campus Media. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Made With Joy possible!
This post is brought to you by Her Campus Media
This is a sponsored post in partnership with Her Campus Media. All words and opinions are my own

September 2, 2018

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How I Started Blogging & How To Become A Blogger

Hi Friends,

It’s Joy here! I often get asked how I became a blogger and how to become one; therefore, I’ve decided to make a blog post dedicated to just that.

Each month at Influencer Girl Gang, we will be featuring a new influencer and interview them so they can share about their journey with the hope of helping other aspiring bloggers and influencers start their dreams. So for our first post, I’ve decided to share my story. Let’s begin, shall we?

What do you do and how did you become a blogger/influencer?

I am a fashion designer and I’ve always been passionately in love with fashion. I love making outfits and dressing up. I also love being creative and expressive with everything I do but being in the corporate world for the past 6 years, it has been difficult for me to design whatever I wish as we, designers, have to design what will sell to the market as a whole; therefore, it led me to start my blog -> Made With Joy about two years ago. I’ve also always loved sewing and making DIY crafts and accessories; so on my spare time when I get off work or on weekends, you’ll normally find me glued on my sewing machine making a new outfit for my next adventure. And being the workaholic me, I also needed a creative outlet, that’s why I created a blog where I can go to different places and blog about the different outfits I made.

How do you manage how to continuously make your content? Any tips you can share?

I think as a blogger/influencer, before you even start creating content, it’s so important to sit down and ask yourself these three things below:

1. Who are you?

(What’s your story?)

2. What can you offer the world?

(What is something you’re really good at that people come to you for it?)

3. How will it serve others?

(Why would people need to keep coming back to your page, for what?)

Once you answer all these questions; jot them down and they should help you think and move forward on what kind of content that you can continuously make. For example, if I answered those questions, my answers would be:

My name is Joy and I’m a fashion designer who loves making my own outfits and taking photos on adventures everywhere I go.
I can show everyone the latest fashion trends and DIY hacks how to make something in a simpler way and I can also show people the coolest destinations they can go to with their friends or significant other.
It gives people the knowledge about the latest style trends + its saves people the time to look for awesome things to do or places to visit.

After knowing that, I continuously made content based on what I know I’m good at and what I can share and offer the world. Being genuine is the definite key and sharing what you love – because it definitely shows through you work.

Can you give us a step by step process on how to make a blog or start blogging?

Sure thing! I’d love to.

• Come up with a blog name. Find something that sticks with you and you’d like to keep attached with your name forever. Remember you have to live with it. Start a word brainstorm of topics you’d like to talk about in your blog.

Choose a hosting plan and platform. For beginners, I highly recommend starting with a Basic Plan – once you dip your toe in the water and have learned how to swim, you can easily go Pro or get a Business Plan. I personally use WordPress and know a lot of bloggers that do.

Purchase a domain for your blog. Once you have a platform for your blog, it’ll be time to move forward and have your own domain name. I used Go Daddy to purchased mine. BlueHost is also another popular one. If the first domain name is no longer available for you, don’t be discouraged. Be open and creative with it.

Design your blog/find your theme. Your theme/website should represent you. It should speak volumes on what you’re all about. It’s pretty much your online portfolio. Work on it until you’re in love with it.

Get ready to create some content. I would highly suggest creating a content calendar for yourself. Be organized. Buy a planner or use your phone calendar and find the days that you have free time and schedule ahead of time when to create content on those days. It is also important for you to choose your blogging frequency. Some bloggers post 3x a week where others post once a week. Pick something that works with your lifestyle and stay consistent.

Since you started blogging when and how did you start getting sponsored by different brands?

As my blogging progressed, I was fortunate enough to start getting approached by different companies and be sponsored. I honestly didn’t start getting noticed by brands until earlier this year. It took me about a year of just blogging about myself and what I love before I got sponsors. I made sure to include my email in my Instagram bio – which led to a lot of different brands reaching out to me for collabs and sponsorships. This is very important – I cannot express how important this is. Most business accounts on Instagram have the email button now, which is great, however, if you don’t have a business account, please include your email address in your bio.

Do you use any apps to get sponsorships?

I’ve used a few before but as my business grew, most companies just come to me and email me to create content for them or I also pitch and negotiate with the brands that I like to work with. The apps I’ve used from the past are: muses, heartbeat, collabr8. There’s also websites like AmbassadHer, Glambassador or Activate that connects you with different brands. Check them out!

How do you build engagement with your readers/followers?

I normally like to either ask questions, be personal with my posts, post something entertaining (can’t be too serious all the time) and also engage engage engage! People love authenticity and they love it when they can relate to you and you make them feel like you’re their sister from another mother – and that doesn’t mean only posting about the highlight reels of your life either! If you watch my insta stories, you’ll probably see me chilling with my roommates’ cat and how she attacks me as I sew or Coco wanting to get my attention all the time as I’m working.

Last but not the least, where we can we find you and how can we connect to you?

You can connect with me here on www.madewithjoy.co or follow me on instagram: @_madewithjoy or email me at info@madewithjoy.co

August 30, 2018August 31, 2018

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How To Make Sparkling Pineapple Moscato Pops

If you live in SoCal, you are blessed to pretty much have summer all year round! Thanks to Kroger for sharing one of their refreshing treats to make it through this heat and sharing their recipe with me!

All you need are:

1 Bottle of Moscato Dellatorri Sparkling Wine

1 Coconut Pineapple Sparkling Ice

Popsicle Mold

Pineapple Slices

First, you add a few pineapple slices inside the popsicle mold.

Then add the coconut pineapple sparkling ice halfway through the mold.

Then fill it up with the Moscato Dellatorri Sparkling Wine.

Then keep it in the freezer until it’s ready to go!

Enjoy!

August 23, 2018

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Travel With Rove x Petals N’ Wings

Last Sunday, I went to Clairmont Farmers’ Market for the first time and I fell in love with how dainty this little city is and how lovely everyone is in the market place. The first thing I saw was the little sunflower shop (which if you didn’t know, I’m obsessed with sunflowers – I’m led to believe that they are my favorite flowers, I once drove across the state just to see them bloom – yet once I got there, they were dead) Anyways, these sunflowers were painted and colorful!!! I was sooooo in love!

I also fell in love with my new watch from Rove Watch. I am obsessed with their Bella White Watch, as it is light, delicate and even more gorgeous in person. I love the white strap as it goes with mostly everything and the gold finishing. I plan to take this watch with me every where I go especially to my next travel destinations.

After going through the farmers’ market, my boyfriend took me to Petals N’ Wings. They have the cutest garden filled with succulents, cactuses and garden accessories. Every corner was insta worthy or another cute plant ready to inspire you and make you smile.

They have these little gardens that tell stories within their own!!!

And they also sell swings, chairs, tables and more garden accessories.

What do you think about this nursery? Did you fall in love with it as much as I did? I also plan to do more some travel blogs and start locally like this one. Penny for your thoughts?

Dress: Forever 21

Hat & Purse: Target

Shoes: Walmart

Photos Taken By: Eddie

August 15, 2018August 23, 2018

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