Introducing Bella Cene' Photography!!!

My brother Noah - age 4

My husband is so talented! He designed my logo... What do ya think??? I LOVE it. 

*happy dance!*

(website coming soon!)

If you're interested in a custom designed logo visit: JKWcreated.com

Pursuing Passions

I have decided to pursue my passion in photography! I'm spending hours and hours on research and photoshop tutorials. I've re-did photo after photo after photo! It's difficult but I'm really loving it.

I took this photo of my sister last Sunday at my parent's house. Here are a few versions of her photo... Let me know what you think :) Oh and I am TOTALLY open tips and tricks if you know of any!

 Before:

First attempt: Love the eyes but her skin to too blotchy in my opinion

Second attempt: Better - one eye seems to be a little different in color and I wish I could make her skin a little warmer like the photo above.

I've modified these so many times but here are the 2 "final" versions I've actually saved. Any feedback would be appreciated!!

Let's catch up...

So much has happened in the past 2 weeks! Well, I guess I'll begin from the beginning... I got a new job! I am so thrilled because it's a completely different career than my current job (from the mortgage industry to creative marketing) and I really feel this will be so much more up my alley. lol I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to pursue my passion... as opposed to just a paycheck.

Anyway, here's my interview outfit:

I got everything from Macy's... just in case you were wondering. Luckily, I got this interview right in the middle of a huge "One Day" sale at Macy's so the pants were $35, the white shirt was $17, and the cardigan rang up $10! Unfortunately, this picture doesn't show the true color of the cardigan. It's really a blue/green or teal or turquoise color. This is a big change from my previous interview outfit! (However, looking back at other job interview outfits I've posted... I've noticed a trend. lol See outfit #1 & outfit #2) fyi - the true color of the cardigan shown above matches the one in outfit #2. lol

Moving on...

My husband had a birthday last week! I needed a cheap but cute and meaningful way to acknowledge his birthday so I surprised him the morning of with this:

Friday night we went to a Tyrone Wells concert at the House of Blues. If you've never heard of him, I strong suggest looking him up on YouTube. He's amazing! (My favorite songs are "Give Me One Reason" and "Sea Breeze") Someone actually proposed to his girlfriend at the show and it was so sweet! Tyrone even "set it up" lol He told this long funny proposal story and how it relates to a song of his and at the end he goes, "Ugh Sarah, I think Dillon has a question for you..." Yes, I cried. lol

 My husband's parents bought him an AWESOME bike for his birthday so we've been riding a lot. We're not the "gym" type but we love anything that doesn't feel like "working out." Well, what I really mean is that we like to have fun and not realize that we're actually getting a work out. (i.e., bicycling, bowling, etc) We've discovered some amazing trails right in our neighborhood!

I definitely miss blogging but so much has been going on! We're actually moving this weekend on top of everything! Yes, I'm moving this weekend and starting a brand new job Tuesday! Luckily, my new employer was kind enough to let me start a day late so I can get settled.

I hope to be back to blogging more regularly soon! Miss you all!

Clinique Long Last Lipstick - "All Heart" (and application techniques!)

I was at Macy's recently purchasing foundation when the kind woman behind the counter gave me a free lipstick out of nowhere! (I think Clinique is changing it's packaging from the classic green to a more modern silver - my free lipstick was in the traditional packaging). I was a bit nervous when I opened the package to find a bright pink/red color (and honestly thought "Oh, what a waste") but decided I'd give it a try when I got home anyway. You never know!

Well, it turns out I LOVE IT. It's a beautiful pink-red and I get compliments on it every time I wear it.

I'm not one to splurge on lipstick because there are so many affordable options for the same great quality. BUT you can definitely take advantage of their packaging changes! I found the same lipstick on Amazon for only $3.99!

 

Amazon: Clinique Long Last Lipstick in "All Heart"

At the Clinique counter (or online) - $15

Great reviews on Makeup Alley!

You can apply this lipstick like normal (i.e., straight from the tube) and it looks great! (Method used in my personal photo above)

 Or you can use a lip brush for a more precise, even coverage. 

But my favorite technique is to only apply to one lip, press my lips together, and use my finger to even it out for a matte, "lip stained" look!

(or you can apply with just your fingertips to accomplish the same thing)

xx *muah!*

Did you see my wedding details pictures from yesterday??

be my tweep! lol

January 8, 2012 - Our Wedding: The Details

Northeast Wedding Chapel in Hurst, TX.

We loved the intimacy of this chapel. I'd always dreamed of a little wedding in a small, quaint church and this venue definitely provided the feeling! I loved the cute, antique-y decor. We wanted our wedding to have vintage/antique inspiration. This venue was simply beautiful.

Our "in memory" table - we used old photos instead of more recent ones to add to the antique feeling we were going for. I actually ended up loving the idea. The pictures were of our grandparents who have passed on when they were in our stage of life.

This was so creative! My (then) fiance told me not to worry about my "something blue" but he wouldn't tell me what it was! He promised me I'd figure it out on the day of the wedding and he was right :) He wrote on the bottom of my shoes in blue.

I wanted classic red roses for myself. I even did my own flowers!

The bridesmaids carried ivory roses to contrast with their red dresses.

The reception hall was on site and just as simple and beautiful.

We bought these cute favors at the Dollar Tree! (Yes, THAT Dollar Tree!) We went to a candy store and bought M&M's only in our wedding colors - ivory and red - to fill the boxes.

We bought a case of bubbles at Walmart and metallic address labels to make DIY bubble favors.

Photos by Sarah's View Photography

More pictures to be posted tomorrow!

Tonight I'd rather take a hot, steamy bath :)

For those of you who haven't noticed yet, I am newly married. (January 8, 2012 to be exact!) It's just me and my husband... no kids yet! lol Lately, life has been a little crazy and I'm falling behind on what I consider to be my "domestic duties" as a wife. lol

Dishes:

Dinner:

Laundry:

This is just me and my husband! I can't even imagine what I'm going to do when we have a child! lol I sure hope I develop super-mommy skills by then... because this is just ridiculous. lol

All I want to do right now is -

via

The chores will be there when I'm done... so why not?

I've just been having too much fun playing dress up :) hehe

Simple + Chic + COMFORTABLE

I'm wearing my husband's gray shirt from Target ($8)

 Alfani pencil skirt from Macy's (sale $40)

Pearl necklace from Premier Designs ($38)

boyfriend tee + pencil skirt + statement necklace

F21 pearl necklace - $5.80

JC Penney pencil skirt alternative - $20

The key to comfort in this look is to have a stretchy pencil skirt! The one I have (Alfani) is SO comfortable! It's almost like a bandage skirt, I'd say, but I can't tell you how comfortable it is! I'll never buy a traditional pencil skirt ever again. lol 

photo cred

Yesterday's post: 3 great money-saving tips