endless grace.

You guys! I have some exciting news!

My incredibly beautiful (inside and out) friend Brooklyn just began blogging again. She tends to make people smile, take incredible pictures, laugh continuously, be wise beyond her years, and give all the glory to our incredible God.

Go check out her blog endless grace and leave a comment telling her how awesome she is and check out her photography!

I thank Jesus that he gives me the opportunity to write, meet new people through blogging, and then calling them some of the sweetest friends I know. This blogging world is such a fun and blessed environment.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

Official Instagram

Hello followers! I've got some exciting news...Small Town Girl now has an official instagram!

I was searching the big vast internet and I came across some blogging tips. One of them especially stood out to me, and that was social media. My blog has always been under the radar and almost none of my friends know about it. I've told a few close people in my life and I've gained beautiful friendships through blogging, but I decided why not spread out a little bit?

So I'm excited to announce that the official instagram for my blog is: smalltowngirl_michlyn

I would love for you guys to follow along and join all the adventures to come here on my blog. Go scroll through my beautiful & messy life in pictures! Thanks for all the support everyone!

xoxo,
~Michlyn

My Favorite Fashion Blogs

It seems to be more and more popular these days to have a fashion blog. Whether it's OOTD's (outfits of the day), fashion photo shoots, makeup tutorials, or shopping hauls. I've seen these blogs become more common throughout the last couple years. Let me mention, I LOVE fashion blogs! The ladies who have fashion blogs all have such unique styles and I love reading them and scrolling through their pictures.

So today, I thought I'd give a little shout out to my favorite fashion blogs. I'm going to do my best and find ones that all have different styles preferences so there are different varieties. They will be numbered in alphabetical order, not by most/least favorites.

#1: belle vie
Haley is a college student who just got engaged. She finds incredible deals at thrift stores and let me tell you, she rocks at finding the cutest clothes for the best prices. Besides style, she talks about her college experiences, wedding planning, and her favorite moments in life.

#2: Classy Girls Wear Pearls
Sarah is an international blogger who reaches thousands of people with her beautiful style blog. She has an elegant and classy sense of style and she expresses it perfectly. Besides her wardrobe she includes pictures of her friends, beautiful vacations, and exciting parties.

#3: The Freckled Fox
Emily is a gorgeous mom of soon to be 5 kiddos and an incredible lifestyle blogger. She is most popular for her many hair tutorials and trust me, you can find any hair style ever on her blog. Including her beautiful hair, she blogs about maternity, her family, and her busy life.

#4: Into the Woods
Alexandra owns a beautiful vintage fashion blog. She often makes some of her own clothes and creates the perfect classic outfits. Aside from pictures of her style she wears the cutest jewelry, creates makeup tutorials, and her photos could be on the front of magazines.

#5: Rachel Lately
Rachel is an Austin, Texas fashion blogger. She shops at popular places but finds the trendiest ways to put outfits together. She loves her hometown, showing pictures of her travels, and gives great advice.

If any of these blogs seem to interest you, go ahead and click the link and it will bring you right to the homepage of the blog. These ladies know their fashion!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Printing Your Instagram Pictures

I don't do this very often but sometimes I like to pretend I'm artsy and write out tutorials for my blog. Today, I'm going to show you how to print your instagram pictures. I've seen this pinned on pinterest or on other blogs, but those tutorials required photo paper and fancy printers which I do not have the money for.

So as I searched for tips or tutorials on printing instagram pictures with good quality and within a reasonable price range, I noticed that there weren't too many that I found to be quick and easy to follow. Then, I finally came upon this post and it was perfectly laid out and I instantly started to follow along to get my pictures printed!

So now, I'm going to do a tutorial just like the one above and give you feedback on how my pictures turned out and hopefully you find this useful for your own experience.

First go to Persnickety Prints and you can either instantly upload your pictures or create an account that takes about 1 minute and then upload your pictures. Depending on how many you upload (I chose about 30), it could take a few minutes for all of the pictures to load.

Next, the pictures will load into a separate album and then you can name it so you remember what pictures you print. Once they all appear you can select "All" or individually select them to be printed for your order.

Since I wanted all of my uploaded pictures to be printed, I selected all of them and then a tab popped up to customize my order. It will show you all of the pictures that you intend to order and if you need to delete any then they have those options. Once you review your pictures you can click "order prints".

For the best quality, you want to choose a "photographic print" since your pictures will be printed after-all. Also, since instagram pictures are completely square you want to choose even dimensions so they are printed proportionally. Since they don't show you any prices, I'll give you a heads up and tell you that the 4x4 photographic prints run at about .50 cents a piece.

Make sure you only select the quantity to be ONE because that means you're only ordering 1 of each picture. I made the mistake of choosing 30 (because I had 30 prints) and my order got mixed up and I had to go back and change it. Finally, it will ask for your shipping address and payment info and you'll be set to go.

Ok now here's for the review part - You guys I'm in love!! They came within 3 business days and everything was packed neatly and perfect! They come in a small package that fits right inside your mailbox and they are protected just as pictures should be.

The pictures are packaged in two separate bags and the overview of your order is inside as well. They even sent coupons and a little thank you card! (you guys should know, I LOVE coupons)

At this point I was kind of holding my breath just waiting to see how my pictures turned out because despite the coupons, the pictures are what I payed for. They turned out beautiful! The quality was excellent, just like they would be shown on instagram. The size was perfect...not too big not too small. Whether you like to instagram square pictures or you're trying the new trend "rectangle instagramming" like me, the quality doesn't change.

Square, rectangle, borders, designs, collages...you name it and they all turned our perfect! With my 30 prints, plus regular shipping, my order cost about $15 and they also had a deal going on. Just google "persnickety print coupons" or check out their social media for any ways to save a couple dollars. All in all, I'm so happy I did this and very satisfied with the results. If it's not obvious I'll be doing this again very soon!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

It's the...

It's the flights to L.A. The walks in the park. The beach volleyball in summer. The tea in Paris. It's the full moon on a dark night. The long walks around the neighborhood. The deep conversations with your best friend. It's the wind in your hair while you swing. The leaves in fall. The hand-written letters. The sweet poems you read. It's the test you ace. The coffee you drink everyday. The picture you take. It's the memories you make. The TV shows you watch. The snow in winter. The food in Italy. The cards you read. It's the gifts you receive. The perfectly made bed. The sun coming through the window. The kids you love to teach. The rain in spring. It's that one time thing. The sleepless nights. The dreams you love. The clouds from an airplane. It's the trips to Spain. The songs you sing. The celebrity crush you have. The dresses you twirl in. The flowers you smell. It's the pictures you paint. The stars you look at. The candy you eat. The soft pillows you sleep on. It's the family moments. The embarassing times. The words you say. The sand on a beach. It's the highschool year book notes. The emojis in texts. The people you talk to. The homework you don't complete. The bad things. It's the positivity in life.

Old Goals & New Goals

This past year I started something new. I made 13 goals for 2013. I decided to write them down and keep them here for all of you to see. I felt like that would give me more motivation and keep me more accountable to things I wanted to achieve. And even though I didn't complete them all, I am quite happy with what I accomplished in 2013. 

I am proud and excited that so much could happen in just one year. So here are the finished goals from my year.

1. Bedroom Makeover ✓ (pics coming soon)

2. Save enough money for a DSLR camera ✓

3. Get a car ✓

4. Finish my sophomore year on the A or B honor roll ✓

5. Get a Summer job ✓

6. Complete 3 DIY projects off of Pinterest
      1 ✓
      2 ✓
3

7. Let my blog reach 50 followers ✓

8. Learn how to crochet or knit

9. Go on a road trip
10. Complete 5 random acts of kindness
1 ✓

2 ✓

3 ✓

4 ✓

5 ✓

11. Complete my devotional book
12. Don't spend excess money for an entire month ✓
13. Stop the bad habit of biting my nails (in progress)

Since this seemed to be such a success for me. I decided to make 14 goals for 2014 as well. There are probably 3 or 4 of the same from 2013 because I really want to complete all the goals I made. :) 

Thanks for following along!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

10 things for Today

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Inspiring the Cute (1)

I'm linking up with Sierra from Keep Growing Beautiful today! I really think her blog is adorable & these are some of my favorite posts that I look forward to each week.

If you want to link up too or share some love for Sierra - hop on over to her blog!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

This is Real.

my face isn't flawless.

i make mistakes.

i have insecurities.

i don't have all the best clothes.

my heart is being protected for one guy only.

i don't have an iphone.

i don't get everything i want.

my faith & family come first.

i don't get an allowance.

i have enemies.

i don't wear bikinis.

my hair isn't perfect.

i worry about unnecessary things.

i have friends of both genders.

i've been known to fangirl.

i'm a christian in this world.

This is Real.

You can judge me as you please, but this is me. And I'm staying right here where I can write these things and feel safe. Safe to know that Jesus is the only true judge & and that I'm living this life He gave me, best to my ability. If you follow me then you're gonna have to learn with me too.

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Just to Sum it all Up

Most of you know that I wrote another series starting last month and I think it went fairly well.

I got some wonderful responses and I thank everyone who gave me encouragement and said how much they loved the posts. This series was kind of difficult for me to write because some things I had never really written about. Some of it might have taken you by surprise, but I was so happy with the comments I received. :)

So if anyone missed my latest series or you are a brand new follower, I put the links down below with a  description. Or if you just want to skip it all and go to the tab above and click on 'My Blog Series', that's ok too!

Thank you all for being thoughtful and wonderful followers! Your comments make my day!

1. When I look in the Mirror...

In this post, I wrote about beauty. What I see in myself when I look in the mirror and how confidence isn't always what I see in my body. But you can be that radiant girl who believes in who she is.

2. Behind the Scenes of Adoption
So this one was especially hard. I've written on my family's blog about some difficulties that adoption has brought us. But to actually put full fledged, raw words and publish it here...that was a little nerve wracking. I know quite a few of you have adopted and everyone's journeys are different. If you want to read about it, feel free!

3. Wish I'd never Grown up.
This one was about growing up. How it's all innocence and free-spirit when you're little. I wrote about how puberty is natural and that responsibility is a lot of what maturing is. God created us all differently. But don't waste your teen years just becoming mature...make sure you have fun too!

4. Watch What You're Sayin'

Bad language. Swearing. We've all heard it. And it's something I wish my peers wouldn't do. And could erase from the mouths of adults that I look up to. But I can't. Because you're only responsible for you and what comes from your mouth. So make sure it's something that Jesus and your grandparents would want to hear. ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful day! 

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Tag You're It!

So Sarah tagged me from her blog A Free Mind. Here we go....

Rules:
1. Once you've been tagged, answer the following questions.
2. Link 5 other bloggers.
3. Comment on their blogs to let them know you tagged them.

1. Favorite restaurant? 

Applebees or Buffalo Wild Wings

2. Favorite music band/group?

Kristian Stanfill (favorite Christian artist), Jim Brickman (he's just a composer), & Taylor Swift

3. Favorite TV Show?

F.R.I.E.N.D.S (it's an old sitcom & kind of dumb but funny)

4. Favorite movie? 

Letters to Juliet (never gets old)

5. If you could be best friends with one celebrity-who? 

Jennifer Lawrence

6. If you could marry one celebrity-who?

ZAC EFRON

7. You could live in a movie-which one?

Hmm...I'd say 'Enchanted'. Go from living in an animated world to the crazy real life city.

8. Biggest pet peeve?

When people sing or play or listen to Christmas music when it's NOT Christmas!

9. Biggest fear?

Someone I love is going to die unexpectedly (I know kind of cliche but it's real)

10. If you could change your hair color- which color?

I've never dyed my hair at all...a blonde w/ natural highlights right here. But I'd have to say I'd change to a brunette.

Thanks for tagging me! I don't do these very often so it's fun when it does happen. :)

The 5 people I tag are:
Emma from Rescue the Orphaned
Sierra from Keep Growing Beautiful
Hannah from in Neverland
Megan from Boundless
Jenna from A Beautiful Heart

~Michlyn

Things I've Realized {from Pinterest}

This post is mostly for fun. I've realized that Pinterest is really unrealistic...I know some people realize that right from the beginning, but it took me a little while.

I'm here to give you a few examples straight from my life.

Expectation//Reality

Everyone wants their Bible to look like that...c'mon admit it. And in real life mine (seriously) is brand new...got it for Easter. But I can't wait until it fills up.



 Expectation//Reality

Looking for a great picture with some beautiful sunlight? Yeah well really you're gonna get the snow stomped ground in the dead middle of winter and with the sun as my hat.

Expectation//Reality

Sometimes I also realize it's quality and critique. Because I promise I wore this before I saw this on pinterest... And yet the outfit on pinterest looks better. Weird.



Expectation//Reality

Now this picture is just adorable...love her glasses & her expression. Now me...it looks like I have a balloon in my mouth and I'm trying to hold my breath and not choke on it or something. Goodness gracious this is awkward. :)



 Expectation//Reality

Don't judge me for my apps. My brothers play more games than I do. So I saw this on pinterest and thought that would be so cute and fun to do. And then I realized how too incredibly lazy I am to do that. So my iPod will stay the same and look as if a 4 year old owns it.



Expectation//Reality
I have been loving the eye makeup I've been seeing on Pinterest recently. Then I realized I don't have the eye shadow, lashes, or talent to do any of them. So this is what you get. Oh and my eyes (or eye liner) don't look that disgusting in real life.

 

Thank you for listening to my realistic rant on how I spend my time! :)

~Michlyn

Long Awaited Photoshoot....

Finally...

Beka and I are heading out to take some pictures.

Got our ideas, our outfits, our cameras, our locations, & the snow!

Sneak peek coming up later today! :)

~Michlyn

Insta-Week / Day 7

(post-Thanksgiving)

I am thankful that I had a great Thanksgiving!

My wonderful family.

The great food prepared by my grandma.

The good and funny conversations.

Writing down Christmas lists and exchanging names.

Seeing a new little puppy my cousins just got.

Hearing what everyone else was thankful for.

It's funny that after doing these last 7 posts, that I realize I'm thankful for things you don't normally think about. I wanted to do something different than just a standard Thanksgiving post. I LOVED reading all of your Thanksgiving posts. 

Some favorites are below:

Emma Claire from be lovely

Hannah from Farmgirl in Flipflops

Brooke from Endless Grace

Blessings,

~Michlyn

Thursday Night Nails

I redid my nails tonight... I had the sea foam color on all week, and it was starting to chip so I decided to change it up. I saw this on Pinterest, and it is literally the coolest nail design I have ever seen, especially cause it's blue!

I thought I couldn't do it, but then I realized I had everything to make it. Here's my results....

They're not perfect, but they turned out much better than I expected! That's my fun tonight!

Anyone else been doing fun things on Pinterest lately?

~Michlyn

Tutorial: Beautiful Nails

I've decided to do a tutorial.... With lots of pictures, because it's more fun that way! I mentioned in my post, earlier that I'm a nail biter. They are short, and not pretty. I have gotten my nails done professionally...twice actually. I'm just gonna say that it's not the way to go. They file the coat of your nail, that it becomes so weak. Then of course you're also paying $25+ for nails that will last 3 weeks if you're lucky.

I taught myself to do this, because I've been buying those cheap fake nails at Target & Claire's ever since I was 11. You know when you see those gorgeous nails on Pinterest? You say "I just wish I was talented enough to do that." or "My nails are not long enough to do this."

                 
    

I know right?! AMAZING! I'm going to show you how to make your not-so-great nails, into beautiful nails!

I found these about a year ago [at Target]. I wondered, what on earth would you do with these. So I bought them and brainstormed. My "nail-world" has been changed ever since! :)

STEP 1:
Find everything you need, and then take any excess or old nail polish off of your finger nails.

STEP 2:

Second, use a file and go over the top coat of your nails. They will feel rough, and have white sandy flakes. Don't rub them off once you're done, just leave them. Also push your cuticles down so the glue doesn't stick to them.

STEP 3:

Next, find all of the right size nails. Make sure each one fits just right! You don't want it over lapping skin or being too small. Apply the glue just to the bottom of the nail, and press down. The glue should spread across your whole nail. (Be careful, this glue is very strong. I would know from experience... :) too many fingers stuck together)

STEP 4:
Once you have all of your fake nails glued securely on, you can move onto the next part. I would wait and let your nails sit for just a couple minutes.

Use a small/thin scissors and cut the rounded tip of the nails. You don't want to use big scissors or school scissors because those could pop the nail right off.

STEP 5:
Lastly, use the file again and shape all of the nails to your liking. After your nails are shaped, go ahead and pick your fave color of nail polish. It's your choice if you want to add a clear top coat or not.

FINAL! 

Hope it helped! Have a nail-tastic day!

~Michlyn