Fall Entertaining

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JITT047blog

Happy September!!! Today is a special day because it's Elle's 3rd birthday, and the day I always find myself getting into the fall spirit. So what if we're supposed to wait until September 21st to official say it's fall? So what if it's still above 100 degrees in Phoenix? That can't stop me from making my home look like fall, my taste buds enjoying fall treats and making plans for fall gatherings around chili and cornbread.

Today, I'm sharing with you a collaboration with Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market - a biannual event in Arizona that brings vendors that sell unique, vintage pieces. Many of their vendors carry unique serving-wear and dinner-wear, and with fall approaching, Coley and Lindsey decided to choose "gather" as their theme for this September's market.

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JITT006blog

To get everyone in the gather spirit for the upcoming event (September 19-20), we came together to create some inspirational place-settings for your future fall and holiday gatherings. All of the pieces that we used are items that the vendors are currently selling at this fall's market, so if you see something you like be sure to get your ticket to the event and snatch it! Also, be sure to follow Junk in the Trunk on Instagram because they will be sharing more details on how you can win tickets and buy the items featured in the shoot.

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Desert inspired Fall Setting - We don't really have leaves that change color and fall off of the trees here in Phoenix. If that does happen to the occasional tree it's during the months of December and January. Instead, we have cool nights perfect for bonfires and backyard gatherings. We loved this idea of using cacti and decor trends of brass and deep blues to create an inviting table-scape that made you feel at home.

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Kid-friendly Entertaining - You might be at the stage in your life when your friends have little ones that they bring to your dinners. A way to make them feel special all while using plastic dinnerwear is to place a piece of candy along with a name tag, so they know that they were thought of. Also, line your table with craft paper as your table cloth so that they can draw while they wait for their food. We took the liberty and drew in utensils for fun. You can also place a vintage toy for them to play with like a pin wheel or a truck for more character.

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A stylish & budget conscious table-setting - Maybe you're throwing a "friendsgiving" this year, and you really don't have much to spend for decorations. Try using a bundles of wheat, rosemary and apples to make your table design feel like fall. We also used old flour sacks for placemats. Scraps of burlap from a fabric store would work just as well rather than spending $8.00 a pop on a placemat. It doesn't need to be elaborate to look pin-worthy.

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JITT014blog

Red & green can look cool - I'm a fan of white minimalist holiday decor because the combination of red and green really bothers me. I know that's a bit silly, but seriously, those colors not only don't mesh well with one another, but they clash with the color pallet of my home. However, if you throw in black, white and gold we found that red and green can actually look cool.

For more ideas on entertaining, make sure to follow my "Entertaining in Style" board on Pinterest.

Photos by Gina Meola Styling by Coley & Lindsey of Junk in the Trunk and Alex Evjen of AVE Styles

HP Sprout Review & Recipe Card DIY

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This post is sponsored by HP.

As a content creator and influencer I'm always working with images, and as I mentioned in a previous post, working on a laptop isn't always the easiest. Sometimes it really is helpful to see things on a large screen, and with the Sprout by HP I not only have a large screen, but I have an easy way to capture and edit photos and objects. It's a creative's dream computer.

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HP21web

With their touchable screen and mat, I can create inspiration with a click of a button. Simply lay your objects on their mat, click scan, and voila! You can see them on your computer. You can easily add text to your photo too.

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Check out this cute little screensaver background I made in UNDER two minutes. Yes, it's that fast and easy!

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HP02web

It comes with a wireless keyboard which is so nice, but I actually didn't really need to use the keyboard much at all. You can quickly eliminate clutter and maximize space by using their touch screen or the keyboard on the mat. It's nice to have the option though if you're writing a lot (like I am right now).

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HP10web

The Sprout also comes preloaded with fun artwork and games for children. My two year old loves drawing and playing with the Sprout, and it's MESS free!!!

There are endless ideas of how you can use the Sprout for work, but I thought it would be fun to show you an easy DIY for anyone looking for a new home PC.

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HP27 copyweb

RECIPE CARD DIY:

1| Pick your favorite recipe to share. I chose banana bread.

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HP28web

2| Choose ingredients from your recipe as art work. I chose bananas, of course, but you could use coffee beans, sliced carrots, or even sprinkles of sugar or pepper.

3| Lay your objects on the outer sides of the mat so you have enough room to write, and click "take picture."

4| Save the photo and remove the objects from the pad.

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HP33web

5| Add your recipe title and save the photo.

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HP32web

6| Print a 3x5 or a 4x6 photo onto regular paper and write in your recipe (It looks more personal that way).

It's that easy! Want to know more about Sprout by HP? Visit their website, www.sprout.com.

Photos by Gina Meola

Setting Up a Creative Space

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HP18web

Sponsored by HP.

AVE Styles was launched from a laptop sitting on my couch. I've never had a creative space to call home for my business. I'm a nomad - traveling from my couch to my kitchen island to Starbucks to my bed...That's the nice thing about laptops, I guess, but after awhile you start to want a desk to put all of your papers on and place to leave your job at the end of the day. By not having a desk I often find myself taking my work "home" with me. I spend entire evenings working from the couch instead of engaging in a game with my family. So, I created a creative space with the help of some friends from Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market. Granted, the space came just as we decided to put our house on the market, but for at least for a short season I have been able to experience what it is like to have a place for my business to call home.

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Check out the before and after! Crazy, right?!

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HP01web

It sure feels good! It feels great to open the door and know my work is waiting for me, and at the same time, to shut it and leave it for another day. I also like that I can't see the laundry basket of clothes waiting to be folded or anything else that reminds me of chores I need to do outside of AVE Styles. I also love that I'm surrounded by objects that make me "feel" more creative. A gold pair of scissors, fresh flowers, old books, a vintage calendar...They all bring about a thought or a feeling when you stare at them, which could be a source of inspiration for my next project.

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HP24web

As part of setting up the perfect creative space, I said good-bye to the laptop and hello to a desktop computer. Not just any desktop PC though. It's the Sprout, which is pretty much made for visual creatives like me that work with images incessantly. It has built in 3D scanning technology, as well as a full creative suite that let's you edit and draw with ease. Tomorrow I'll show you what it can do, but for now, you'll find my list of creative office must-haves:

Top 5 Must-Haves for a Creative Space:

1. Fresh flowers - they just make me smile, especially when they're peonies.

2. Comfortable desk - if you're going to be sitting there for hours you better like your desk.

3. A journal - all of my best ideas are written down with pen and paper in a journal.

4. Natural light - you can't necessarily buy natural light, but it's so important to my creative process.

5. The HP Sprout - obviously, I've become a fan of using a desktop computer.

Photos by Gina Meola.

Storybook Photo Session

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Nowadays it seems that every family gets new pictures taken for their Christmas cards, but sometimes it all seems like such a rush during the BUSIEST season. My friend and VERY talented photographer, Rennai Hoefer of Ten 22 Studio, came up with a GENIUS idea...Do family photo shoots centered around the theme of a favorite bedtime book for your family! storybook-inspired-photo-session-©ten22-studio-36-of-36

It's such a creative idea, and a great way to personalize your photo session so that you don't always have the same family photo every year. She asked me to be her first client for this new concept, and it didn't take but a second to tell her that Elle's favorite book was I had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn.

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It's about a girl who had this very favorite dress, but as she grew her mom had to alter it from a dress to a top to a skirt to a hair bow to simply a picture because of her size or because her dog chewed it up.

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To see the full story unfold, visit Rennai's blog. Elle and I had so much fun modeling, but I sadly can't sew. I have a sewing machine, but I don't know the first thing about using it. haha. I had my friend Meghan Green from A Purposed Life create different variations of the dress using a $4.99 dress from Walmart.

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First of all she took this plane Jane dress up a notch by adding tule and flutter sleeves, and then she did an amazing job taking it apart into the different stages.

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Acting out a book makes you think outside the box to achieve such a specific idea, and it really made my time with Elle special when it all came together. I especially treasure these photos of us because they not only show our love for each other, but they capture us spending time together in a way we often do: reading books, playing dress up, eating snacks and watching her play outside.

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To book a session visit, Rennai's website.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer, Ten 22 Studio Fashion design by Meghan Green, A Purposed Life Modeling by Elle Evjen and Alex Evjen

Circle of Stylists: How to Get Out of Your Style Rut

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Even stylists get stuck in a fashion rut. To prove that to you, Reachel Bagley, Becki Crosby, Summer Bellessa and I got together to style each other. We are all stylists and fashion experts, and we are just like every other woman - we like to wear the same thing time and time again because we know it looks great on us. thumbnail-circle-of-stylists-ave-)ce

I had the chance to style Reachel Bagley of The Cardigan Empire. Her struggle was wearing the same shape over and over again - a pencil skirt and top with a cardigan or jacket. Check out what I did to get her out of her box.

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Get new clothes selected for you by a Le Tote Stylist based on your fashion profile.  Wear it as long as you like, keep what you want, send the rest back, and they will ship you a new box.
Leopard Tunic:  http://bit.ly/1wIRbOS
Chevron Necklace: http://bit.ly/1CyzDGS
Leather Leggings: http://bit.ly/1EMHQGZ
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My style rut is gravitating to all black these days. It's an easy color that is chic, makes me feel slimmer and my shoes match. To get me out of this pattern, Becki Crosby of Whippy Cake, a fellow fashion stylist and brand stylist, gave me a new direction. Check out the video below.

What do you think of my new look? To get it check out the links below.

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MAKEOVER WARDROBE
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To see all of the makeovers, follow the links below.