AMERICA.

This year we had a very fun Fourth of July! My family has some set traditions we do every year, but they're still exciting each year. I didn't have to work this year (last year I was working at the MTC and had a shift that day), but luckily it was a paid holiday day off for me! We had family in town as a part of their trek to our Camp Pendleton family reunion. My uncle Paul and his family were able to be in town which was really fun because my uncle is currently in the U.S. Army and is currently stationed in New York. He's been in the Army for quite some time now and has been deployed several times so we're not always able to see his family. They made the drive all the way from New York to come! My uncle is a helicopter pilot and flies Black Hawks. Pretty cool, huh? My grandpa and cousin also served in the Marine, and I have another uncle who just got out of the military. The 4th of July is always special to me because I have seen firsthand the service that our military members give, and I am so grateful for all of them!

We started off the 4th by running a 5k! Tay and I decided to stay by each other the whole way, which was really fun. After, we went to the annual Provo Freedom Festival parade! It's the same every year, but I always enjoy going. Later that afternoon we went to my Grandpa Nielsen's home where we had our annual 4th of July BBQ and water fight. This is my favorite tradition. My grandpa makes the BEST grilled marinaded chicken, and I love just being with our family.

Taylor was so cute and knew that I would enjoy going to the Stadium of Fire since it was our last summer in Provo. He coordinated getting tickets for all of my family in town so that we could all go and sit by each other. It was so much fun to go and see the music and firework show. It was Tay's first time which was fun as well! We had a very busy day, but we had so much fun!

I was a wimp and decided to just chill with the babies in the pool. Kept me safe from the watertight and I got to play with the cutest kids around!

We've been taking this same picture since I can remember! 

I loved Leo's apparel for the 4th! 

Leo was in awe of the fireworks! Tay and I enjoyed our last Cougar Tail in Utah that night. 

I love this boy so much. His cute smile melts me. And when he belted out to "American Girl" (Carrie Underwood), I died. 

WE GRADUATED!

Hey there. Yeah, we're alive...just super busy!

So I think I last posted in April. Annnd it's halfway through August now. Well, LOTS has happened! Taylor and I moved to Houston, TX two weeks ago. These next few posts on the blog will be playing catch-up. So enjoy!

This post is dedicated to...GRADUATION!!! The best part is, Tay and I are kind of both frauds. Ok, not really. But we all know I really graduated back in December because I've been so happy it about it I've probably mentioned it a million times since then. And Tay is technically was technically all done with his major when we walked at graduation, but he didn't "graduate" until June because the University of Houston required one more class that his major didn't. So we both walked but neither of us technically finished in April. Such rebels, I know. Taylor graduated with his Bachelor's in Exercise Science and his minor in Business Management. I graduated with my Bachelor's in English Language and a minor in Contemporary Dance.

Graduation week was super fun! My sister Nicole and little Leo (the child with the amazing hair) came in town, and Tay's parents and his aunty came up from Hawai'i! It was so much fun to have family in town to help us celebrate.

I wanted to make sure we got some good shots of just me & Tay in our super flattering caps and gowns (I sure hope you can sense that sarcasm), but I knew graduation day would be so busy. My sister Nicole was nice enough to bring her fancy camera and take some photos of use the day before. The last time we did a photo shoot of just us was our wedding! It's fun to see what we look like just two years later.

This is one of my favorites. I love Taylor so, so much. His smile still makes me so happy. 

                  Shout-out to my bestie Lauren for this adorable necklace that helped jazz up my robe!

 I made these little 4x6 inserts which we sent out with our graduation announcements (I got a couple back in the mail so if you were expecting one but didn't get it, don't hate us!). We had a small get-together with my close friends and family to celebrate. Taylor saw the one on the right and asked "do people do this kind of thing?". Well, he clearly is still learning who he is married to :). I just said "yep!", and that was that. 

Some Good Advice

Today is the first day of the 184th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. For those who are unfamiliar with this, you can learn more here.

Today I really, really enjoyed Elder Holland's talk where he mentioned standing up for what you believe, and doing so in a kind and respectful way. One of my 2014 goals was to not be afraid sharing my thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. I have always been kind of afraid to do so because many of my beliefs are rather conservative and not accepted by the vast majority of the people in the world we live in. Another reason that sharing and defending my beliefs has made me nervous is that many might take offense because they might not understand what I believe. However, this quote really touched me today because it reminded me that it is, indeed, OK to stand up for what I believe and defend my beliefs by doing it kindly, courteously, and compassionately. I have never had any intentions of defending my beliefs unkindly, but this was just a good reminder.

This General Conference I'm wanting to share favorite quotes from talks via social media. If you have any favorite talks that you would like to see in a design like this, comment below or message me and I'll make one! I'm hoping to share quotes like this through Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (though I have no idea what I'm doing with Twitter!) to share the gospel and uplift people regardless of their beliefs or faith.

On The Hunt

Happy April! If you're in Utah, you probably needed this reminder that it is actually April. Hello snow and rain??

So, we are currently on the hunt for housing in Houston, but today I'm talking about another hunt I'm on!

Today's post is brought to you by my desperate/clueless girly self..? Yes. I'm on the hunt for a few new "essentials" and I've come to the point where I just need any and all suggestions!

Ok, first of all---face wash and moisturizer!! I've been blessed to have pretty clear skin, but I still want to take care of my skin so that it can age well and be healthy. I've been trying lots of different kinds and I'm just looking for more suggestions to try!

Second--Mascara!! This has been a real struggle for me! My eyelashes are about as straight as they come, so I'm a firm believer in a lash curler (except a few blogs once told me to put my hair dryer to my curler to basically get the "curling iron" effect for my lashes...um hello burning metal on my eyes?? That was a horrible idea. I probably did it wrong though)...and of course a great mascara is necessary. All you bright-eyed beauties/eyelash Yodas, share your knowledge!

Third--Foundation!! I have the hardest time matching foundation to my skin, and also not feeling like I have caked on makeup. What are your favorites? Like I said I feel like I have pretty good skin, but I just need to highlight that and even things out sometimes. And I HATE feeling sticky.

Oh, and lip color. I want to be more adventurous. But I'm a whimp. You guys obviously know what I look like, so um, suggestions on colors?

Well now that you know all my deep dark secrets, we can be even better friends, right?? Oh, and I want to try out things you guys recommend...and I'll report later. But no guarantee on any beauty posts, because we all know how awkward I feel about doing those types of things.

Also, I'm on the hunt for some shoes for graduation. Here are some I've been looking at but I'm convince I can get them at an even better deal. Where are your favorite places to find shoes?

Spring Wedges by kelseybnielsen featuring wedge heel shoes

Life Lately- Good, Bad, Awkward, Awesome

First of all, thank you for all of the kind words, excitement, and encouragement about our decision to go to Texas for optometry school for the Mr.! In case you missed it we're moving to Houston! To answer a couple questions, Taylor will be starting in the fall and joining the class of 2018 (that sound so crazy and far away!). I'm pulling to have us stay in Utah as long as possible, so we'll probably move at the end of July! Taylor was also admitted to Pacific University College of Optometry (in Hillsboro, OR) and Southern College of Optometry (in Memphis, TN), but we felt best about Texas!

As for life lately:

Good: The customers who call in at my work have calmed down a little. The first two weeks of my job I thought I was going to lose my mind listening to people complain literally all 8 hours of my shift. I'm grateful for kind people!


We got our graduation announcements in the mail! Things are getting real!


We finally got a carbon monoxide detector, so now my extreme fear/paranoia of dying from a CO leak in my sleep can be put to rest.

Bad: Our apartment management. That's the only thing we're excited about leaving when we move!

Awkward: Waking up at 7:02am this morning when I need to leave at 7:20...going to work realizing I look somewhat homeless but hoping no one will notice. And then starting the work day off by being told "oh yeah, you look really tired". THANKS. jk jk peace and love but really. No need to rub it in people.

AWESOME: This GIVEAWAY!!! My cute friend Katie from dance helped throw an adorable "Ahoy it's a Boy" baby shower using one of my invites. I'm giving away a free customized (or listed) invitation or printable to one lucky reader on her blog! The contest is super easy to enter (remember my tips on entering contests and giveaways??), so go ahead and enter! May the odds be ever in your favor :).

And because I hate blog posts without pictures, here's a pic of my favorite little guy: 

I'm working on a bunch of designs for this little one's first birthday party. I can't wait to show you guys!! 

Our Second Anniversary...& We're Moving!!

Happy Tuesday!

As you may have read, we just celebrated our second wedding anniversary! It's crazy how fast time has gone by since we got married. Life has been extremely busy lately so we sort of made last minute plans, including small gifts to each other not wrapped at all, and no cards (we both love giving/receiving nice cards for special occasions). We joked that this year was just going to be our "ghetto anniversary", though it was nowhere near that, just not as planned or prepared for as our first.


I got Tay a little sheet of coupons for date nights, getting the car cleaned out by his lovely wife (it's a mess), and a couple's massage (he's been wanting to get a professional massage forever so he got a coupon for us to go get one after we walk at graduation because we're poor right now haha)

Tay got me a cute earring set and some combat boots. I've been wanting boots like this forever but could never bring myself to spend the money, but he was able to find some of a different brand that were a really good price. Totally surprised me!
             

Taylor won the husband of the year award by taking us to get PEDICURES together as one of our activities. He knew I would appreciate one but didn't want to send me alone, and his feet were in need of some TLC (to no one's surprise he's never had a pedicure before). I'm not sure this will ever happen again, but it was surprisingly really fun to go together! He was a good sport :).

A little skeptical..

We went to dinner at PF Chang's (and ate way too much), and then spent the evening at home watching a movie an eating yummy Samoa's (the girl scout cookie) ice cream. We've been trying to hunt down the girl scouts so that was as good as we could get for the moment.

                    

Oh, and most importantly we have some news!! We are moving.....to TEXAS!!!! Yes that's right, we finally decided! It has been a long few months of stress, paperwork, waiting, paying for flights/hotels/rental cars, etc. and we are so excited to know where we're going!! Texas was never number 1 on our list (in fact Tay was going to cancel his interview there because he really liked a Tennessee school, but his hotel reservation was non-refundable--what a blessing!)...but we both feel really good about it and are excited and nervous for our new adventure! Right now we're BYU Cougars and next we'll be University of Houston Cougars, but wearing red! Thank you for all of the love, support, and advice as we've been on this journey!

2

2 years ago today I married the most handsome guy with the best smile. It was a bright and sunny day just like today! I'm so grateful to have found someone who is so patient with me and who loves me for who I am. He is always encouraging me to do my best, even if I feel like giving up. He is such a hard worker and has been going to school for over a year straight (including spring and summer semesters) to help make our dreams come true. Even though we usually go in public with him wearing "slippers" (sandals) and me in my girly dressed up clothes, we're a perfect match on the inside. Year 2 was so fun for us. I'm excited for what the future has in store! I love you Taylor!

Here is a video from our wedding day. I am SO happy I had it documented. 

Kelsey & Taylor Provo Temple Wedding Video from Davey Orgill on Vimeo.

Photography: Elizabeth Taylor Frandsen

Videography: Pointe Digital Photography & Videography

Let's Take a Break

Sometimes I feel like life is just flying by and I can't keep up! Today was a little nuts. We got off to a rough morning running late (as usual), something I am trying to work on! I keep having thoughts like I want to wake up at 5am and go running BEFORE being to work at 7:45am and then the morning comes and I'm like yeah, maybe tomorrow . Nowadays I just feel like saying to Tay "let's take a break" and then we run and go buy donuts from Provo Bakery and hide from real life for just a bit. Because donuts make everything better, right?

We are down to choosing between two schools and we have to decide by Friday. I'd be lying if I told you that we have an idea of where we might go. Every day I think I know what my vote is, but then evening comes and I'm exactly in the middle of the fence. It's crazy knowing our lives will have a more clear direction in just three days, yet three days seems so long!

Today I took at 56 minute phone call with a lady whom I have no idea how to describe. I don't even know where to begin with why she was unhappy/confused/irritated/demanding, etc. She had me so stirred up but I was able to keep my cool and be professional (though on the inside I was probably not as kind). Later I got a little treat as a "good job" on the longest phone call ever from our recognition team.

Taylor is still working his bum off at school. I SO do not envy his still being in school. College was great, but I'm so happy that I finished. We just ordered our caps and gowns and my in-laws and sister (and little Leo!) have their tickets to visit for graduation. Things are getting pretty real here! It is really exciting.

On another note, here are things I would buy if I had the money! I'm loving all of these spring items. Let's be honest, I don't wear heels often but I thought these pink shoes were fun and almost bought them to wear for graduation! Also, I think Ben & Jerry's fits in here perfectly. This stuff is my have.

wish list by kelseybnielsen featuring high heel shoes

5 Tips for Opening an Etsy Store

Happy Monday!!

Today I'm talking about Etsy. Now, I'm not here to say that my shops are the most successful or awesome Etsy shops ever, but I have had quite a few people asking me for advice or tips as they start up an Etsy store, so I figured I'd condense my advice into 5 tips and share it here! These are tips that have helped me find success in my stores. I've even been able to sell outside of Etsy because of things I've learned on Etsy. I hope you find some of these helpful!

1. Be Creative. Of course there are going to be hundreds of shops on Etsy that sell similar items as you will. However, there are plenty ways to make your shop stand out whether it be price, style, customization options, item names, etc. Think outside the box! There is no point of having a shop if it's exactly the same as others, so avoid the possible urge to just create a duplicate of someone else's shop because it's easy. That takes the fun out of everything! Think about an ideal shop that you'd love to shop from, and create it!

2. Do Your Homework: Research!! Opening an Etsy shop shouldn't be a quick, last minute decision. I mean, it can be, but you're not going to have as high quality of a shop as if you had done some research. What I mean by research is search on Etsy! See what's out there. What are people selling that's like yours? What are their prices? Can you sell the same item for a lower cost? What do they charge for shipping? What do you need to charge for shipping based on shipping products (packing envelopes, tape, labels), your time and travel to ship? Most importantly: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAKE OR CREATE YOUR ITEM (keep in mind your time/labor. time=money) and HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO SELL AN ITEM FOR TO MAKE PROFIT. Those last two are obnoxiously in bold because really if you have an Etsy shop to have a business (which is the point), you need to make sure it's worth your time to be selling through Etsy and that you are not putting forth more than you're getting back (this is usually the case in the beginning, but hopefully this equals out after a little bit of time). When I started my first shop, I wanted to make sure that I kept myself level-headed so I gave myself a very small budget to start out with. I calculated how much I had to sell in order to at least break even. Once I got the hang of how much shop was going to work, I continued investing more money into my shop and eventually saw some revenue. Now I know exactly how and when my shop is successful and what I have to put forth to be successful. Every shop is different!

3. Be Patient. This is important. It can be, if you're like me, really intimidating and a little daunting to put yourself out there and open a shop where you're essentially selling yourself in front of thousands of online shoppers. Keep in mind that people will find your shop. It's just a matter of how long that takes. That being said, be patient, but be proactive (see next tip!).

4. Make Social Media Your Best Friend. Say 'hello' to free advertising! If you know anything about marketing and advertising, or even if you don't, you know that social media is the world's greatest free contribution to networking and advertising. Don't be afraid to use your Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (especially Pinterest!) to 'sell' your products. With all the ridiculous junk there is online, people enjoy seeing uplifting posts about awesome things you're selling. Also, PEOPLE LOVE PRETTY THINGS. I interned for Shabby Apple last year working with their social media. Hands down, no questions, our followers shared, re-tweeted, repinned, etc. "pretty images" the most. People like things that catch their eye. So take time to take good pictures of your products. Use photoshop to make a little 'ad' here and there. Even if people don't know what your shop is, if they like what they see on social media and it catches their attention (again, especially Pinterest!), they will share it with others.

5. Have Fun!! Ok, this sounds so super cheesy. But it is so super true. I had thought about selling jewelry for years because I used to make it for fun. However, when I thought about how much I was going to have to sell it for to make profit, worrying about if people liked my jewelry designs, etc. I realized that for me, selling jewelry would be a chore and not fun. I love being a small business owner because I share what I love with people. And I found talents that I have to share with people and I'm able to make a little extra cash (it's so fun when you forget people pay via paypal and you randomly find money hidden there). So this is fun for me. Find something you love doing and it will come naturally to you!

 This was very basic, minimal information coming from my experience selling on Etsy. So if you have more questions, please ask! One of my main goals in life is to be a stay-at-home mom. However, I love having little hobbies and Etsy has been a perfect place for me to channel my inner-self when life is getting crazy, and I know I'll keep up with it when I'm at home with kids one day and need an outlet for myself. I think Etsy is a great place to start if you're just getting your feet wet with your business. I hope to one day move my shops to an independent site, but for now, Etsy is perfect for my stores. It gives you stats to look at, and you can see where your traffic is coming from.

Anyway, let me know if you have questions! And if you've been thinking about opening a shop, I recommend it!

Have a fabulous Monday!