December 09, 2014

Wear Your Gym Clothes All Day and Look Stylish

December 09, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

This post is sponsored by Mountainside Fitness.

Let's be honest...Sometimes what can keep us from the gym is simply the fact that we have errands to run before and after our workout, and we don't want to look a hot mess. I totally get it, and getting sweaty and stinky can definitely be an inconvenience, especially when you're in a time crunch. So, I thought I'd share with you how I wear my gym leggings and sports bra while running around before the gym. To help, I've included before and after photos. After this post you won't have an excuse not to hit the gym!

View More: http://sarahgray.pass.us/avemtnside

When I wear my gym leggings I also choose boots and a tunic top to wear along with them. You could also choose a long sweater as well, and look fall ready in a snap. I don't wear too much makeup because I don't like to workout with a ton of product on my face. So, I simply wear tinted moisturizer, concealer, blush, eye primer, mascara and lipstick. You are set for the day and in style.

When I get to the gym all i have to do is change my shoes and my top.

After my workout I'm all sweaty, but I don't always have time to take a shower and do my hair. This might sound really gross to you, but I blow dry the sweat out of my hair. It acts as natural sea salt spray and gives me a ton of volume. I just go back through with dry shampoo to make sure I'm not too stinky. If you carry face wipes with you, just go ahead and wipe your face, armpits and chest with them and then apply some body spray and deodorant. Then apply your 2 minute face like I mentioned above.

Lastly, put your other top and shoes back on, and you're set to go run more errands or even meet friends for dinner.

Photos by Sarah Gray Portraits.

December 05, 2014

Holiday Party Favors

December 05, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola.

When hosting a party, you always want to give your guests a little something special to take home. We've come up with a cute and festive gift that is inexpensive and easy to make yourself.

View More: http://melissajill.pass.us/cocacola

Kissing beneath the mistletoe is a longstanding tradition during the holidays. So, what better way to remind your friends and family that you love them than mistletoe bundles? We even created "xoxo" tags to go with them, and paired them with a classic bottle of Coca-Cola.

Mistletoe isn't easy to come by, so you can use any type of white berry or holly to take the place of mistletoe. Simply tie some string around your little bundle and hot glue your handmade "xoxo" tag to it. Vintage soda crates make the perfect display, and I particularly love this vintage Coca-Cola one. You could place ornaments in it for some sparkle.

For more holiday entertaining ideas, check out this other post.

Photography by Melissa Jill, art direction and styling by A.V.E. Styles, florals by Hoot and Holler and calligraphy by Katie Sterbenz Design.

December 02, 2014

Holiday Style with Junk in the Trunk

December 02, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

View More: http://sarahgray.pass.us/jittholiday2014

What happens when you combine sequins, three girls and the holidays? This...

It's a party when the Junk in the Trunk girls are around. Coley (above middle) and Lindsey (above right) started a vintage flee marketing in Arizona a couple of years ago called Junk in the Trunk, and it has grown into one of the biggest vintage markets in the southwest. They recently have ventured into apparel design, and created the most comfortable and stylish tank and pullover with the saying, "This is my party dress."

I love the humor and whimsy of it, and they asked me to help them style theirs for their holiday promotions. I obviously said yes because I am a big fan! I wear my tank to the gym. I sleep in it. I wear it with jeans (like Coley is below). I also love to dress it up with a tulle skirt like Lindsey is above. You can get yours here.

The off-the-shoulder pull-over is perfect for any occasion as well. I'm loving the pullover trend this fall. You can find it all over Pinterest with flouncy skirt or distressed pants. I paired mine with a fair isle knit skirt from H&M and a knit beanie. (Get yours here).

While on the shoot we got to pretend that this amazing home renovated by My Rafter House was ours. How much do you want to cozy up to that fireplace, especially when it's complete with a festive banner by The Banner Shoppe. Um...Yes, please!

After this fun photo shoot for JITT's new apparel I had a blast rockin' out the coolest up-do I've ever had thanks to Jenny Strebe of The Confessions of a Hairstylist. She does these amazing, pin-worth hair tutorials. This is one I think I can actually replicate. Go check out her site for more inspiration.

Photos by Sarah Gray Portraits

November 25, 2014

Preparing to Stay in Shape Over the Holidays

November 25, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

Over the summer I turned 30, and I started my own 30 Thriving Challenge because I had always talked about getting in shape, but I never did anything about it. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't strong. I knew I couldn't run a mile without feeling winded. I knew I couldn't lift much more than 30 pounds without struggling. I knew something had to change. I partnered with Mountainside Fitness to help me change my lifestyle, and I'm partnering with them again to help me maintain it over the busiest season full of distractions and temptations to over-indulge. Here is how I am preparing for the next 37 days to make sure I don't back slide.

1| Scheduling my workouts until the end of the year - I use Google Calendar for everything. I would never know what day it is without it. I have scheduled three workouts a week for the rest of the year, and put a reminder right when I need to wake up that day to go to the gym. Doing this will prevent me from filling up my calendar and not leaving room for fitness.

2| New workout gear - I am gifting myself new workout gear for Christmas. I only have two pairs of pants, and with the cooler weather here I don't want to bring out my shorts. Getting more pants and some long-sleeve tops will keep me from the excuse that my clothes are dirty and I can't go to the gym.

3| Paying for Childcare - I am paying $15 a month for the rest of the year for childcare with Mountainside Fitness. I couldn't workout without it. Sure, I could workout in the evenings when my husband is home, but then I would miss out on family time. This way Elle gets to play with other kids, and I get some alone time without any anxiety.

4| Meal planning - I am the WORST at this. I need to start meal planning weekly to avoid eating a lot of pasta and takeout over the next couple of weeks. I am proclaiming to you that I will be using my crockpot like no one has ever seen. Soups, chicken, tacos...It's all happening until the new year. I'll be sure to share recipes along the way as well.

5| Hanging out with friends at the gym - If you're my good friend and you're reading this I have news for you. We're ditching Starbucks and hitting the gym to hangout. Sound good? Okay, okay...maybe not always the gym, but we're doing something active like going to the park or going on a walk at the very least. The weather it too beautiful in Arizona not to enjoy it, and the brownies that people offer me are too yummy not to try. Get what I'm saying?

Photos by Amy Frances Photography

October 31, 2014

Smoke & Shadows

October 31, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

Happy Halloween! In honor of the spooky holiday my dear friends Ale Vidal, Stephanie Neiheisel and I decided to create a shoot around the idea of smoke and shadows featuring this to DIE for dress by Fame & Partners.

The most glamorous ghoul of them all is a vampire. They are always depicted as wealthy - living in castles, wearing intricate jewelry and sporting bad ass black hair. With the golden details of this unique top over a slim, satin black dress - Stephanie portrayed a vampire living among the smoke and shadows of darkness.

Rarely as a stylist and art director do I get to be theatrical with my concepts. Instead it's always creating to sell something or someone. In some ways what I do with commercial styling can be see more as smoke and mirrors over something like this. Obviously, thought and planning went into the concept, outfit and makeup for this shoot. Sometimes with "lifestyle" shoots they can appear "effortless," but in reality they are just the same amount of effort - sometimes it's even MORE planning. Doing that as a profession day in and day out can take a tole on your perception of reality causing high expectations of myself and for others.

The world of content creation and Pinterest is a world of smoke and mirrors. Though a lot of the imagery can be achieved on your own much of it can't. My advice is to always remember that a lot of the content is purely inspirational and creates a dream world like television. Take it with a grain of salt. Don't let it kill you! (mwahahahahaaa). But seriously...don't let it suck the life out of you like a vampire.