travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, influencer, brand influencer, influencer instagram, fashion blogger

Lavender Festival

Hi friends,

On June 16, 2018, Eddie and I went to the Lavender Festival <3 It’s probably one of my favorite festivals yet as it’s celebrated at the beautiful 123 Farm at Highland Springs Ranch & Inn where the organic herbs are grown.

They also serve lavender everything – from drinks to ice cream with live music!

You can also make your own lavender crown! But we came a bit later so we were too late!

They also have mini cute shops that sell oils, soaps, candles, spices, teas, books, honey and even bread!

Then there’s two huge fields with lavender where you are free to take pics and there were also horse drawn carriages where they give out guided tours.

And of course, I had to make an outfit for this gorgeous event! I made floral flowy dress that ties at the front. All portraits are taken by my photographer boyfriend, Eddie <3

If you missed this year’s event, I hope you make it next year. It’s so worth it and have I mentioned relaxing?

XO,

Joy

Dark Blooms

A few weeks ago, I went back to Death Valley with my friends. One of my favorite places to visit and to shoot in is —-Bad Water Basin. This place reminds me that—not all endings have to be ugly, some of them actually turn out to be unique and extraordinary. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by white ground which sorta looks like snow but it’s pretty much dried up salt from the evaporated water, which once was a lake. Here are some of the pictures that I took with my favorite photographer, who became my boyfriend that weekend. Haha. I was so excited for this trip that I actually made three outfits, which I’ll be sharing the other two outfits soon. For this look, I used a black embroidery floral lace to make a see through maxi dress with bell sleeves and a two piece set. As Coachella is coming around the corner, I felt the need to make some festival inspired looks. This dress is very light and perfect for a hot, sunny day in the desert. And to top it all of, I made a floral crown to finish the look. What do you guys think? Are you excited for Coachella?

XOXO,

Joy

March 14, 2018

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Metanoia

metanoia (n.) the journey of changing one’s mind, self or way of life

These photos were taken approximately three months ago in Alabama Hills, where we celebrated one of my best friend’s birthday. Funny how life happens and change, as I grew up, I realized it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones.

Not So Fun Fact About Me: I moved around schools growing up – so I was always the new girl that everybody judged at the beginning and by the time I felt like I found my group of friends, it’s time to move again. Because of this, I learned how to adapt to my surroundings very quickly —although I still had a difficult time finding my real friends. Growing up, I’ve always felt like I was “too much” for most people or “too good” and I had a hard time feeling at home or finding my tribe.

For years, I’ve prayed and hoped to find some weirdos that like adventures, taking pictures, brunching, being silly and creative, laughing, being on the go, who aren’t afraid to get real with you and bring you back to ground and reality as I’m often day dreaming somewhere up in the clouds in la la land. I’m glad to say that I finally found them after twenty six years— they were worth every wait. I realized what true friendship was once I met people who would always love me with my imperfect self, confused self, and my wrong self.

And because of them, i’ve learned more about myself than I ever did before. Recently, a good friend of mine made me realize that I like to run away and not deal with relationship/personal issues because it scares me to face them; so often times, I mask my problems with work, other activities until it ends up blowing in my face. I’ve also learned that we are often attracted to the same kind of people for a reason — are they filling in a void? and if so, what is that void and why? However, as I look back for the past three months, I actually feel wiser and stronger that somewhere along the line I feel like a different person. I’m no longer afraid to tackle things that I normally would prefer not to deal with. Often times, I still need a bit of a push but I am thankful to have found the courage through my experiences and the mistakes I’ve made from the past.

What do you think about this dress that I made for this shoot? Also, as January is ending have you thought about all the things you’ve learned from last year already? They say that January is the trial month! Sadly, you only have a few days left. 😉

XOXO,

Joy

January 26, 2018January 26, 2018

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Castle On The Hill

Have you guys ever been to Knapp’s Castle at Santa Barbara? It’s a landmark ruined mansion in the Santa Ynez Mountains. It’s only 1/2 a mile to get to the castle before you park. I didn’t get to take any pictures of the actual castle as my phone was broken at that time but the view was breathtaking. If you haven’t gotten a chance to visit, you should definitely do so. When I went to do a photoshoot there with a friend, we actually became part of a proposal. It was one of the cutest and sweetest things ever. A guy asked his friends from Sacramento to help him propose to his girlfriend by using their van and carrying their couch all the way to Knapp’s Castle. The “couch” has been an iconic part of their relationship where a lot of their first kiss, arguments, asking her out to be his girlfriend has happened. We had to hide along with the rest of all the people who were there when his girlfriends came and came out as soon as she said yes to his proposal. I couldn’t help myself and cried out of joy.

Luckily, before I had to hide for the proposal, I got to do a few test shots because as soon as we finished the ranger came and kicked us out. I was a little bummed because we didn’t get to shoot more but at the same time my heart was happy knowing that I got to be part of something special. For this look, I made a see through tulle white dress. I thought it would go well with the whole castle background but we didn’t get to shoot the whole thing.

What do you guys think about this outfit?

XOXO,

Joy

HMU: Celina Magana

Photographer: Makoa

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017

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New Year. New Chances.

As 2017 rolled in, I made a simple asymmetrical dress that I wore for my NYE dinner in DTLA. I also went on an annual new year’s hike which helped me think of seven things that I want to try and keep applying to my life this year. One of the best parts about the New Year is that it’s a clean slate. There’s a sense of comfort in leaving the past behind, feeling encouraged to let bad habits end with 2016, and becoming motivated to make positive changes in 2017.

Stop the negativity.– Stop the negative talk. Cut it out. Yes, life is hard and it sometimes throws curveballs at us that we never expect but one of the things that I realized the past year is that negativity doesn’t do you any good. It just leads you to overthinking, overanalyzing, insanity and depression. Life is never going to be perfect so when it gets hard, stop being negative and just do the best that you can.
Get out. – Literally, get out. Go outside. If you’re bored and you have nothing to do with your life, get out. Bathe yourself with some sunlight and breathe in some fresh air. The world is still so beautiful, go make use of it and take care of it. It literally is our giant playground. Go on a hike, go travel, go on a road trip. Get out.
Schedule to have some alone time. – If you live in LA, or simply work in a crazy industry filled with nerve-wracking schedules, you know how to difficult it is to try to have some breathing time and spend some time by yourself. This year, I wanted to make sure that I schedule some time for some “me time.” Often times, it’s so easy to get lost within our friends, career, relationships etc. that we forget one of the most important relationship that we have – ourselves. You only have one life. If you aren’t happy and at peace with yourself, your decisions, you’ll never achieve happiness. So take some time off to mediate, write, draw or do whatever it is that you like to by yourself and allow yourself to breathe.
Fall in love. – Take those walls down that you’ve built for so long and fall in love.. with people, places, nature, animals and yourself. Feel and actually allow yourself to be happy and live in the moment and stop being so guarded. You and everyone else make mistakes. Let them. Let yourself make mistakes. Funny thing that is — isn’t that what life is all about anyways? – making mistakes until you get it right.
Be uncomfortable. – Get use to doing things you’re not use to. Go out of your comfort zone. Say sorry first. Let your pride down. Love the unlovable. Share. Be patient. Work harder. Do something you’ve never done before. Know who you are and know that you are worthy of living your dreams. It’s never too late to create the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Let go. – Let go of the toxic people in your life. Let go of your own toxicity. Let go of your own bad behaviors. Let go of that friend who takes advantage of you or who talks behind your back. Let go of that boy who doesn’t love you. Walk away from people and situations that threaten you peace of mind, self respect, values, morals or self worth.
Just believe. – Believe that everything works out for a reason. You are where you’re suppose to be. There is no do overs in life so the mistakes that you think you’ve done in the past — they are there to serve as lessons. Feel it out and move on. Believe. Believe that God or the Universe or whatever you believe in has your back. You have to believe because when life gets hard, its your only choice of survival. You have to believe in yourself — that you can do it, that even though life is tough, you are tougher and when all else fails, you can try again. There will be more chances in this life. They may not be similar but it’s not the end of the world. You are born for more and you can conquer anything if you just believe.

Hope these were helpful that you can also apply these to yourself!

XOXO,

Joy

January 10, 2017January 10, 2017

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Twenty Seven

As I turn twenty seven tomorrow, a part of me normally gets emotional on my birthday – because I’m turning another year older. I usually reflect what everything I’ve learned, my goals and my aspirations in life. However, lately I’m actually feeling a bit more calm as I realized that maybe growing older isn’t so much of a bad thing. I’ve had a few realizations the past few months that I’d like to share and maybe growing older actually means knowing yourself more, knowing your worth, knowing what you want and knowing your happiness.

“If you want it, go for it. Take a risk. Don’t always play safe or you’ll die trying. If you always do something you are a little not ready to do, that’s when and how you grow. When there’s the moment of uncertainty on accomplishing things and you push through — that moment is when you’ll have a breakthrough.”

Someone once told me that most people are scared than brave and that statement makes me sad. I wish more people could be brave and take more chances. I wish there were more authentic people who wants the best for you and everyone around them but lately I realized that world we live in — everyone is mostly here to fend for themselves and I’m sure there’s many valid reasons behind this and how they even got there; even I, myself am learning to find out why but my hope is to never be the person who only lives for themselves.

A few months before I turned 27, I realized that:

You will need to start taking of yourself more (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually) — you don’t have a 21 year old body anymore. You can no longer party 3 nights in a row. You will need to work out 3 to 4 times a week — I sure need to start doing that soon. Your family and friends can only be there for you so much, you need to start taking care of yourself and ask yourself what’s destroying your inner peace?
You will lose people/things in your life that are not meant to be with you forever (friends, lovers, relationships, jobs) — the past few years, I realized that losing people or things in general is inevitable, some are meant to be in your life for a few months, years even but that doesn’t mean that’s the end of you. Often times, we tend to seek validation from people or things that we hold value in our lives. This has happened to me before and my only hope is for everyone to know their selves first and love their selves enough to no longer need anyone for any kind of validation. Sometimes you also lose people or things just simply because they no longer fit in the kind of life you see your life heading and that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad thing. It just means another door has closed so another one can open for the right people in your lives.
You start doing whats’s right for you — anyone else in their early to mid twenties felt stuck in the wrong relationship, job, career, toxic friendships? The good news is this happens less as you get older, by 27, you start to realize the only person looking out for you is you & those you can fully trust and has the best interest in your life. However, you still have to make the choice for yourself. Your best friend can only tell you a million times to drop that f***boy who doesn’t do you any good, but you’d still have to make the decision for yourself. When you realize that, you start to prioritize yourself and your own interests over others. As you get older, you start to realize what’s right for you.. what you’re looking for.. your goals and do all these things tie into your life?
You can start all over again — this ties into the point above. Feeling stuck? You hate the choices you’ve made the past few years? You can still pick up a new hobby, a new career and kick ass in it. You can drop everything off and travel for a year and pick up where you left off.
You no longer FOMO — you don’t have the fear of missing out any longer. You don’t go partying at the club till 2 AM anymore, or go to the latest raves just because your circle of friends are going. In fact, you start scrolling down your social media early saturday morning and say “I’m so glad I wasn’t there… there’s so many people.” You will enjoy your privacy a lot and alone time. You will start appreciating the simple things in life… and that you no longer have to try hard to fit in.. because you no longer care & you’re content with who you are.
You’re more intentional and confident — with your actions, friendships, decisions, relationships, careers. I don’t go around trying hard to make new friends, just so i can gain more friends in my life. I know by now who I can depend on at my worst and laugh with at my best and I absolutely love them for it. You don’t look at yourself anymore feeling inferior of other people’s success. You are generally happy for your friends that are engaged, married, traveling another world, popped another baby and know that you will get there in your own time. You are also more intentional with your actions. You’ve learned that not everyone needs a reaction. (this was a really hard lesson for me to learn, personally) You learn how to pick your battles. Not everyone deserves your time, your worth and your energy.
You also know by now that kindness is key & what love means… everyone is struggling and just trying to make it as much as you are… so you now choose to be kind even when you’re hurting… You’ve fallen in love and got your heartbroken maybe once, twice or many times by now. Yet, despite of all the pain and fear, you heal and will fall in love again. You will take a risk again. You will choose to love again because you’ve managed to make it through your first heartbreak (& from what I’ve heard –that’s the hardest) & only because you know that love is always worth it, especially when it’s rare and authentic. But just because you’re giving love a chance once again – it doesn’t mean that you will be as foolish as before. You’re stronger, wiser and lastly, you’ve learned the meaning of self-love the past few years to know the difference between what’s worth it, what’s a waste of time and when to start walking away… You know yourself enough to know what you can bring down on the table and offer and what you can and cannot compromise in.

December 15, 2016December 15, 2016

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