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

Ostrichland USA

Hi friends,

Have you ever been to an ostrich petting farm? I took my family to Ostrichland USA this weekend and made some new tall friends! To our surprise it was only 5 mins away from Solvang! It’s located at 610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93463. My family and I had so much fun! (even my grandparents actually) If you’re looking for a family friendly atmosphere, or even a cute date idea, Ostrichland USA is the way to go! Admission is free; however it costs $5 for each bowl of food when it comes to feeding them (totally worth it!)

TIP: Hold on to your handle very carefully and try not to get too close so the ostriches dont bite you (because they try) but also, don’t stand too close so they dont end up hurting their necks!

Here are a few of the pics that we took. They even had cute angel wings walls!

Let me know what you think about this blog post. Is this something you’d like to add on your places to visit list?

XO,

Joy

Why It’s So Much More Fun To Go To A Pumpkin Patch Than Just Buying A Pumpkin

Soooooo let’s begin with I’m not from here and I wasn’t raised here in the U.S. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been in a pumpkin patch before (so don’t judge me lol) and I might’ve over done it this year as I’ve already gone twice this month! So you can just imagine the look in my face when my boyfriend brought to my first pumpkin patch earlier this month at Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch. I was like “Omgggg this is better than a fair!!! There’s dogs everywhere!” I loved it so much that I also hosted the second Influencer Girl Gang Meet Up event at Tanaka Farms. But other than dogs, here’s the main reasons why I personally love going to pumpkin patches rather than just staying at home carving store bought pumpkins.

It’s just a ginormous place of magical pumpkin land. Every corner is pretty much a photo opp and insta worthy.

2. There’s sunflowers!!! (Ok, maybe I just got lucky but both pumpkin patches, I’ve gone to had sunflowers.)

3. UMMMMNNN. CORN MAZZZZEEEE FUN! Need to say more?

4. It’s just a fun place to be with you girl friends or your significant other!

Have you gone to a pumpkin patch near you? Don’t forget to do so this year & enjoy the festivities!

October 22, 2018

madewithjoyLeave a comment

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

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Pure Gold

One of my favorite classes that I took at FIDM is draping. Most of the time when I create, I get inspired by the how the fabric feels, the colors, the texture and how it flows. Little did I know that this class would be so helpful now that I’m always running around doing photo shoots. When I havent gotten a chance to make an outfit, I tend to bring fabrics with me and end up just wrapping it around myself to make a dress.

For Labor Day Weekend, I went on a mini road trip with my friends to Arizona and Utah. One of the stops that we did was to see the Antelope Canyon. We signed up ahead of time to see it through Chief Tsosie’s Upper Antelope Canyon Tour We had so much fun as the tour guides took us to the location as we rode a mini jeep. They helped us take the best pictures where you can see the light pass through the canyons. This has been on my bucket list and I was so excited to be able to see the canyons in real life. It was pure magic.

I will be doing more adventure blogs soon.

What do you guys think about these kind of posts?

XOXO,

Joy

September 29, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Museum of Ice Cream

The long wait is over as I finally got the chance to visit the Museum of Ice Cream!!! I love ice cream so much that I dressed up as one! Teehee. To everyone else that hasn’t gotten a chance to go yet, they just opened a new one in SF. You should definitely try to go! It’s probably the third happiest place on Earth in my books! The rules are pretty simple in this museum, you get a treat in every room you go into, you have loads of fun, you get to to dance around and sing a long with cool jams and you get to make new friends! They have the best employees. Everyone has a great personality and dances with you. We weren’t allowed to touch the hanging bananas and the black cones but other than that, you can pretty much touch everything. They also have a few cameras where you can take pics with your friends. My favorite room is probably the sprinkles pool – which is at the very end of the museum. I didn’t get to take a lot of photos as we didn’t have enough time. Also, when you go to each room – remember that you cannot go backwards so take your time!!! It’s a fun place to go on a date, go out with your friends or family or to be honest to go by yourself. I wish they sell more tickets because I’d definitely go again.

What do you guys think about my ice cream outfit? I pretty much wore a white tulle top and a brown fitted skirt for the cone and made a cherry headband.

XOXO,

Joy

September 14, 2017September 14, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

All of the Stars

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!! Thanking and saluting all the men and women who’ve protected our freedom and defended our independence. I made a 4th of July inspired body suit to for today’s festivities. I’m currently in the middle of moving and will be getting ready soon to go to a BBQ/pool party and to tailgate and watch fireworks at the Rose Bowl. I cannot wait!!! How’s everyone celebrating today?

XOXO,

Joy

July 4, 2017July 4, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

A Summer Of Love

Can you believe that summer is almost here? Other than the heat (which I’m not a huge fan of), I can’t wait for the long sunny days filled with fun, ice cream, summer concerts, festivals, beach days and road trips. As summer arrives, it is very important to find your summer essentials. I am very happy to share that I found one of my favorite brands as it was a love at first sight at “A Summer Of Love. Everything they have is boho chic that has the feminine and trendy vibe. I especially love this “My Michelle Belle Crop Top” that I wore at Coachella as it is so versatile, flirty and fun! I wore it with a draped skirt with a side slit that I made while it was super hot during the day and I also wore it with the “Lucky One Ripped Jeans” as it got a bit cooler during the day. What are you guys and gals looking forward this summer? Don’t forget to shop at “A Summer Of Love before summer fully arrives and don’t forget to use my code “JOY4ASOL” to get 15% off your entire purchase! 😉

XOXO,

Joy

May 5, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Happy Easter!

Are you guys ready for Easter? This year I made a simple A-line dress with matching bunny ears made out of a floral lace. I think celebrating Easter is probably one of the most fun things that I miss growing up. I remember going to church and already looking for eggs while there’s still mass so I know exactly where to find them afterwards. To be honest, I don’t necessarily really know how the easter bunny was associated to Easter but it has been a fun tradition and it was so fun making these bunny ears. If you guys want me to make a DIY blog post on how to make these ears, definitely let me know in the comments below and I will be more than happy to teach y’all. I hope you all have a fun Easter weekend and spend time some time with your family or simply the people you love and celebrate Easter your way, whether that’s going to church or simply just hosting an egg hunt at your house. I will be spending some time with my family and grandparents and going to church and I am very excited to see them. Happy Friday loves! <3

XOXO,

Joy

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Why I Still Believe In Magic

In this crazy, sometimes difficult world that we live in, sometimes (we or at least I) tend to forget that magic still exists, that true love exists. We are often so busy making m0ney from our 9-5 jobs, the pressures of this life, the bills and the stress that we forget the little things, the little triumphs and that the world is still magical if we choose to see it that way.

Because the sun still rises and sets beautifully whether you watch it or not.

Because of how ecstatic and excited my dog is when I come home.

Because of how artists pour so much soul, blood and tears into their art.

Because there is still kindness in this world.

Because of how two strangers can turn into lovers in an instant.

Because of friendship, chemistry, joy, hope, love and grace.

Because of new beginnings, of resilience and of courageous people who do things they never thought they could do.

Because of the fools who dream, the weird people, the poets, artists, music makers, dreamers, designers, outsiders and risk takers.

Because of all the gorgeous places I dream to see in my own eyes.

Because of how flowers still grow after being stepped on.

Because there’s rainbows after the rain.

Because of laughter and of the indescribable feeling of happiness when you’re in a room filled with your favorite people.

Also, this is one of Secretly A Mermaid‘s newest two piece set that I will be wearing at Coachella this year. It is made out of purply iridescent mermaid fabric. I love the way it hugs my body and that it is high waisted. Grab yours now and stand out on your next rave or music festival! 😉 For my next few posts, I will be sharing different festival looks. So stay tuned for more! <3

XOXO,

Joy

March 18, 2017March 18, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Unconditional Love

I know I’m a little late on my blog posts lately (sorry, it has been a crazy busy week) as I wanted to talk about one of girls’s favorite topics to talk about: love! ;P Have you ever been loved unconditionally by someone? The kind of love that loves you still when things get ugly, when you have stuff in your teeth, when you fight and cry but you know you’re going to be okay the next day, when you can fully trust the other person knowing there’s no malice in their heart and all they want is the best for you despite of your differences? It wasn’t until my late twenties that I realized (other than God who created this whole universe and my parents who treat me like a princess and the rest of my family who can’t really get rid of me, hehe) that my greatest relationships (so far) are my best friends.

When I truly thought about the things that I was looking for what an ideal relationship should consists of — there were some things that I knew were non negotiable such as: commitment, loyalty, trust, kindness, respect, honesty, the ability to be completely myself with another person and have lots of fun. With that said I also realized that one of the most important part is for me to be with people who will show love unconditionally and willingly —and accept that I will love them that way in return —and who aren’t afraid to stick around for the hard parts, who aren’t scared to talk about each other’s flaws, or plan a future with me or who will pick up the phone at 3 am because I’m having a nervous breakdown and I don’t think I can finish my school project that’s due at 8:30 in the morning.

Sometimes I’ve asked myself: isn’t our greatest relationship supposed to involve romance? Isn’t suppose to end in marriage like what the society expects out of us? But looking back on my life, my friends have been my constants – who have an unconditional love for me for years. Even when I’ve hit my lowest points, they’re the ones who have helped me come back up. The ones who never gave up on me and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. The ones who’ve talked me out (and never stopped) #insertrollingeyesemoji of dating the guys who they think aren’t good enough for me. The ones that know when I deserve more when I clearly don’t see it and the ones who see the strength in me when I feel like nothing but a broken mess. They don’t worry about a “commitment” to our friendship – it just flows. They don’t look at my bad sides and make me feel bad for it – for the most part, we point them out to each other and discuss how can we be better as a person? They aren’t nice to me just to get something out of me; they’re nice to me because they care about me. They push and aspire me to be my best self because we are each other’s cheerleaders —without forcing each other to be someone we’re not. Last but not the least, I don’t have to compete for their attention or convince them to see my worth because they already know it. In all honestly, I’m lead to believe that your best friends are probably one of the strongest loves you’ll ever have because nobody is forcing them to love you, other than the fact that they already know too much about you! 😉

For this blog post I am actually wearing Secretly A Mermaid‘s newest set. Follow us on Instagram: @shopsecretlyamermaid My bestie and I started our own Etsy shop late last year in order to share our love for mermaids, dressing up and fashion. Speaking of unconditional love, I can say that our friendship is one of the primary examples of the existing greatest relationships that I have. Sometimes it feels like work because we actually work together even if we’re fighting… but in the end I still think it’s worth it because we love each other unconditionally and we are working towards a common goal and we don’t lose sight of that.

My hope is that if you haven’t found someone who loves you for all the beautiful, amazing mess that you are — is that you never give up. Hang on tight and spend time with the ones that already do. <3

XOXO,

Joy

February 27, 2017

madewithjoyLeave a comment