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January 4, 2016 — 47 Comments

New Year, New Me!

Happy New Year, everyone! I didn’t intend for my Champagne Punch to be my last post of 2015, but the holiday season completely took over my schedule and then I spend the last week of the year in Florida with my sister, so I never got around to the last couple posts I had planned. Guess you’ll have to wait for next December to see those!

I am all about a fresh start. Whether that’s the start of a new year or just the start of a new week, I love wiping the slate clean and doubling down on hard work toward my goals. Something about the new year makes me feel like anything is possible, and I’m excited (and nervous) to share some of my goals for the year with you. This kind of vulnerability is hard for me, because what if I don’t successfully achieve these goals this year? It’s always been difficult for me to put my goals out into the world for fear of failure, but this year I’m trying to be braver, so here goes!

Get fit.

Classically at the top of every year’s resolutions list, getting in shape is something I’m really committing to this year. I made a lot of progress last year, but moving back home undid a lot of the work I had done so far, and I’m determined not to let that happen this year. Look for a fitness progress report at least once a month here on the blog to keep me accountable.

Get organized.

I am obsessed with organization on paper, but I need a better system for organizing my actual ‘things.’ I have a lot of piles to go through of stuff I probably don’t need, and I would really like to have that everything-in-its-place feeling. This goes for my closet as well–I did a pretty good cleanout in the fall, but there’s always more to be done.

Get a “real” job.

I kind of hate even writing this down, because it sounds like I haven’t been trying. I've actually been applying to a lot of opportunities; I just haven't received much response, which obviously is frustrating. I’d like to design for a firm or a studio, or in-house at a company I like. Fingers crossed that this resolution gets crossed off quickly!

Move out.

This goes hand in hand with the resolution above. I’ve missed out on a few opportunities because the company/studio wanted someone already local to NY or LA or wherever, which is hard because obviously, I’m ready to move wherever! I’ve just been hesitating on moving somewhere before I have a steady income just to look for a job, because, well...rent and stuff.

Move forward with future projects.

I have some great ideas for projects I’d like to see come to life this year. Exciting things for me and for X-Height-Ment, and hopefully for you guys too! I can’t say too much about these yet, because they’re still in the works, but hopefully you’ll know about them soon!

Improve my photography and coding knowledge.

My photography skills are something I reallllly want to improve upon this year. I often get frustrated because I know how to style an image or how I want the final product to look, but can’t actually get the shot. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have a firmer grasp on it. Same goes for coding–I can edit code fairly well, but I can’t write it from scratch by any means, so I’d like to develop a more in depth knowledge of that as well.

I have other goals for the year too, but these are the big ones I’m focusing on right now. I’m trying to think of a word to encompass my year, but I’ve been drawing a blank. No one word seems big enough to encompass all I want to accomplish this year (which is good, I suppose?). Definitely focusing on being more positive this year!

What are some of your resolutions for 2016?

Published by Alexandra Adams in Lifestyle
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November 2, 2015 — No Comments

Apple Picking and Fall Fashion

November 1st is my aunt's birthday, and since she only lives about an hour and a half away, my mom and I went to visit her for the day. We went apple picking and to a wine tasting, before going out to dinner and returning home for a delicious homemade german chocolate cake. The colors were so gorgeous and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. And you can't beat the view of the Blue Ridge mountains.

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White Quilted Vest (similar) | Black Shirt | Leopard Scarf | Leather Boots (similar)

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Published by Alexandra Adams in Fashion, Lifestyle, Style
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October 29, 2015 — No Comments

Monthly Favorites: October 2015

October is such a great month for me. The air is finally getting chillier and I can break out my scarves and sweaters in earnest without sweltering in the shame of being too eager for the weather to change. This month I've rounded up some of my favorite things to share with you guys that I've been loving this month.

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Candy Corn + Peanuts

This is the easiest "recipe" in the entire world and also one of the most delicious. Cocktail peanuts have the perfect amount of super-saltiness to balance out the super-sugary sweetness of the candy corn and the combination is perfect. I could eat this all day (and probably have).

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This plaid scarf (similar here, here, here, here, and here)

I got this scarf at TJ Maxx and thought I wouldn't be able to wear it as much as I have. It works perfectly with this Butter nail polish and my pink Kate Spade studs. Since I tend to pull my hair back if my scarf is extra big, I get to show off my color-coordination skills. It's so cozy and versatile; I want one for every day of the week.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My mom makes these every October, and when I was in college, this was the care package I looked forward to the most. Since I'm home this year, I got to have a few while they were still warm and oh. my. gosh. I forgot how good they were fresh out of the oven. They're especially dangerous because they're small, so you can easily eat eight or nine without even realizing it! The recipe can be found on my mom's blog here—just trust me on this one.

Dutch Braids

I have FINALLY mastered the Dutch braid this month! After years of French braiding, you'd think doing it backwards would be no sweat-but oh, sweat it was. You can see my tutorial here where I compare the two braids. I'm just glad I finally have another kind in my arsenal to pull out on bad hair days or just when I need my hair out of my face.

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Dark lipsticks

And of course, with fall comes a dark lip. It's one of my favorite fall fashions. I've recently been reaching for my berry/wine colors, but I love a good dark red as well. Here are some of my current favorites!

Published by Alexandra Adams in Lifestyle, Monthly Favorites
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October 22, 2015 — No Comments

Braids: French v. Dutch

One summer when I was around twelve, I spent a week teaching myself to french braid. I braided my hair over and over and over again until I could finally do it without taking forever. Dutch braiding has proven to be quite the struggle for some reason, even though it's literally french braiding backwards. BUT I have finally mastered it, and today I'm here to teach you both braids and the differences between them.

The biggest difference between the two braids is super simple. With french braiding, you cross the sections over the middle as you continue braiding, and with dutch braids, you cross them underneath. This difference is so slight, but it gives two completely different looks. Check out the step by step instructions below.

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DUTCH BRAIDING

  1. Take a small section of hair at the crown of your head and divide it into three equal sections.
  2. Cross the front (left) section under the middle, and then do the same with the right.
  3. Add hair from the left side of the head to the original section as you cross it under the middle. Do the same with the right.
  4. Continue to add hair from both sides as you continue down the braid, smoothing it out as you go.
  5. When you've added all your hair, continue with a normal three strand braid until you reach the end.
  6. Tie it with an elastic and then repeat with the other side.
FRENCH BRAIDING

  1. Take a small section of hair at the crown of your head and divide it into three equal sections.
  2. Cross the front (left) section over the middle, and then do the same with the right.
  3. Add hair from the left side of the head to the original section as you cross it over the middle. Do the same with the right.
  4. Continue to add hair from both sides as you continue down the braid, smoothing it out as you go.
  5. When you've added all your hair, continue with a normal three strand braid until you reach the end.
  6. Tie it with an elastic and then repeat with the other side.
Let me know if you want to see more tutorials! I might make a video next time, so what kind of hair or makeup tutorials would you like to see?
Published by Alexandra Adams in Hair, Lifestyle, Style
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October 19, 2015 — No Comments

Meet the Blogger

Starting a blog is hard, you guys. I'm writing as if people are reading this–and if you are (thank you!), you probably don't know very much about me. I thought I'd introduce myself a little bit and share what's going on behind the scenes of this blog.

I'm Alex, which you probably already know based off the URL. I'm 22 years old and I graduated this past May from VCU with a BFA in graphic design (that's me at my graduation in the photo above with my two siblings). I'm currently in the job hunting/application process for a full-time designer position (if you know of any design jobs, let me know!) while managing my sole proprietorship, X•Height•Ment, and freelance work, as well as this blog. I'm also living with my parents while searching for an opportunity to move–check out my mom's blog here. I have two great golden retrievers, Summer and Brooklyn, so you'll probably see them mentioned too.

I love creating and trying new things, so you'll probably see a lot of experiments on this blog–not all successful, as you can see from this post. Other things I love include puppies, Instagram, the color pink, and glitter. All that being said, talking about myself and what I do is difficult for me, so I found this online survey and filled it out for y'all. It felt a bit like filling out a MySpace bulletin survey (I'm not the only one who remembers those, right???), but I thought it might help you get to know me a bit better.

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LAYER ONE: THE OUTSIDE

  • Name: Alexandra Adams
  • Eye color: Blue
  • Hair style/color: Long, blonde, and fairly wavy.
  • Height: 5' 3 1/2" (and yes, that half inch matters!)
  • Clothing style: Classic but a little trendy
  • Best physical feature: My hair. I actually won best hair in high school and again for my sorority–does that mean I get to say I have "award-winning hair" now?

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE

  • Your fears: Not living up to expectations, disappointing people I love and respect.
  • Your guilty pleasure: Bad television. I love it so much.
  • Ambitions for the future: Having a successful design career, that X•Height•Ment will find success. I'm leaving my definition of success pretty open for now, but I'm sure a more defined view will come into play soon.

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS

  • Your first thoughts waking up: "Brooklyn, stop." She sleeps in my bed, and always wakes up first. Then I check the time and go back to sleep.
  • What you think about most: Finding a job, my plans for the future
  • What you think about before bed: My plans for the next day, whatever's going on on social media

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER? 

  • Single or group dates: Single dates
  • To be loved or respected: Love should include respect, so I'm leaning toward love, but in a professional or just everyday environment, I probably care about respect more.
  • Beauty or brains: Brains. If I said anything else, my mother would kill me. That being said, I do love my beauty products!
  • Dogs or cats: Dogs, of course.

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU.

  • Lie: I do my best not to!
  • Believe in yourself: Most of the time.
  • Believe in love: Yes.
  • Want someone: In general, yes. Anyone in particular, no.

LAYER SIX: EVER?

  • Been on stage: Yes. I was all about choir and musicals in high school, so I've performed quite a bit.
  • Done drugs: Nope.
  • Changed who you were to fit in: Hasn't everyone? To be fair, I'm generally pretty true to myself. I know who I am, and I've gotten a lot better at choosing to surround myself with similar people, and not people who want to change me.

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES

  • Favorite color: Pink!
  • Favorite animal: Well I have golden retrievers, so obviously they make the list, but as far as wild animals go, I also really like elephants and giraffes.
  • Favorite movie: I'm terrible; I never have a favorite movie. Disney princess movies have good memories attached to them, and there have been a few throughout the years that I've really enjoyed, but recently I saw Inside Out and genuinely loved it so much. It was so brilliantly done, very clever.
  • Favorite show: Currently, How To Get Away With Murder. Definitely one of the few shows that has genuinely shocked me and made me gasp out loud.
  • Favorite book: The Harry Potter series, hands down. I grew up with that series, going to midnight releases (of both the books and the movies) and dressing up, and I don't think any other book will ever have the same impact on my life that Harry Potter did. I even took some of my high school senior photos with the series!

LAYER EIGHT: AGE

  • Day your next birthday will be: December 29 (coming up!)
  • How old will you be: 23
  • Does age matter: I had a brief bout of anxiousness when I turned 20, thinking I needed to have my life figured out, but I've since moved past that and I hope I won't be bothered by my age again. My mom is really good about celebrating birthdays and not caring about age, so I hope to emulate her in that regard.

in my natural habitat...

I hope this helps y'all get a better picture of me as I continue blogging. What else do you guys want to know?
Published by Alexandra Adams in Lifestyle
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