Jen Russum

On Nordstrom and #hashtags and things…

On Nordstrom and #hashtags and things…

I am officially declaring this week Instagram week here on the blog. No, it's not an official series. There's no button. There's no linky party or anything... but almost every post this week has revolved around Phoebe and the pictures she takes for me. I love that girl. I'll try not to make my Flowers Fade post tomorrow about Instagram. That's a stretch. Okay, tangent over. The point is... I am always a dunce when it comes to hashtags on Instagram and Twitter. #YOLO took me a couple minutes to figure out. I had to ask my friends what #NBD meant. And I'm still convinced #fb means something in addition to Facebook. Flashback? Someone help me out here and tell me if #fb has another meaning. #OOTD is another one that had me stumped for a minute. It was like solving a puzzle in my mind... "Okay, this cute girl keeps posting a picture of her adorable outfit every morning and the hashtag is #ootd. Think about it... think about it." And then I figured it out... Outfit of the Day. {Confession. I just looked it up as I was writing this to make sure I was right. I'm still a bit insecure about my hashtag vocabulary...) Banana Factory tank // Buffalo by David Bitton shorts // Target sandals //  Banana Factory bracelet // DKNY watch And can I just say I love #OOTD pictures? I have a friend from college who just opened a boutique in New Orleans {which I can't wait to visit when I finally go to NOLA someday... travel bucket list}, and she takes a fun outfit picture every morning which she shares on Instagram. This makes sense. It's her job, literally, to be fashionable and to share fashion with other people. But I have no reason. I don't own a boutique. I'm not a fashion blogger. I am no one. But then I think about how strongly I considered working at Nordstrom for a career after I graduated from college {this was my post-graduation-do-this-until-you-figure-out-what-you-want-to-do-with-your-life job} and I get it. I love fashion, even if I did eventually decided to pursue teaching and grad school over walking around Nordstrom in my high heels for eight hours a day... UO dress // Poetic License sandals // Sunshine Blossoms Dahlia Necklace So even though I don't have a legit fashionista reason to share this... here are some of my #OOTD pics from this past week.... from a teacher that misses Nordstrom every now and then... Pink Rose dress // Charlotte Russe boots // Nordstrom necklace // F21 belt // DKNY watch P.S. While writing this, I decided it would be awesome if someone started a website to decipher hashtags... like an online hashtag dictionary. I was ready to invent it {with serious assistance, of course} and become a millionaire. And then I found out it already exists. You can find it here if you are a hashtag dunce like me... Banana Republic dress // Banana Republic cigarette pants // Madden Girl heels //  Nordstrom BP belt // Nordstrom necklace // DKNY watch {If you want to follow along on Instagam, my name is @jenrussum} Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, The Letter 4, and Five Day, Five Ways. ... Read more

Cardigan Season…

Cardigan Season…

Apparently, it’s cardigan season. For those of you who live in colder climates than I do {AKA anywhere else in the United States} I think this is the season where you joyfully throw aside your winter garb, bust out your sandals and rejoice in 70 degree weather before summer hits. But because it’s spring… and still breezy or stormy or chilly on occasion, cardigans are a key piece in your wardrobe during these transition months, so you can wear short sleeves but throw a cardigan on when the wind picks up or the sun goes down. At least I think that’s how it goes… But I wouldn’t know anything about that. Top: GAP Outlet // Cardigan: Banana Republic Factory Store // Jeans: Levis // Boots: Banana Republic Bracelet: Banana Factory // Necklace: F21 Here it is also cardigan season, but for a different reason. We celebrated our first 100 degree day this weekend… and I finally had to break down and turn on our AC a couple weeks ago when it was 86 degrees in our house… at night. So now I wear cardigans… not for the breezy spring days… but for the arctic AC temps inside restaurants, stores, and schools. Top: Anthropologie // Cardigan: Fossil // Jeans: Banana Republic Factory Store //  Shoes: Nine West // Necklace: F21 Plus, I still have to dress professionally for school for a few more weeks. Even though we have officially moved into shorts and tanks weather… that won’t cut it for the classroom. So cardigans it is for now… until I live in my bikini in my backyard all summer long. Top: GAP Outlet // Cardigan: Banana Republic // Cropped Pants: Banana Republic // Shoes: Nine West // Necklace: Francesca's Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, The Letter 4, and 5 Days, 5 Ways ... Read more

About an iPhone.

About an iPhone.

I have an iPhone. Her name is Phoebe. I love her with all my heart. You can read about my obsession here and if you really want to laugh you should probably read this. Anyway... Everyday with Phoebe brings something new. Some new feature to explore. Some new app to download. Phoebe makes my somewhat mundane life as a grad student a bit more spicy. Thank you, Phoebe. Recently, I have been playing around with lots of new photography apps. So many, in fact, that I now have a folder on my phone to hold them all. Except for Instagram, of course. Faithful Insta is found at the top left hand corner of my screen always. I know that photography is supposed to be all about natural light and minimal editing and all that jazz. I get it. When I shoot with my Rebel, I try to find the best lighting possible and use my frame well and so on. But when I have my iPhone in my hand I am going to edit and filter and crop my pictures to no end. Because I can. And because I wouldn't feel I am using Phoebe to her full potential if I didn't. So here are some of my favorite apps... and some of my recent photos I've edited with them. Instagram... obviously. Everything goes through Insta for its final edit. Camera Awesome for new filters and textures. You have to pay for some of the features, but its basic features are pretty...well...awesome. Phonto for adding fun text to photos. Labelbox... another way to add text to photos. Diptic to make collages. PostalPix to print Instagram pictures {I just placed my first order, and I'm obsessed with the result!} The best thing is that all of these apps were free except for Diptic. The only reason I paid for Diptic is because I had heard good things about it, but there are plenty of free collage apps that I'm sure work just as well. Pic Stitch, Pic Collage and Frametastic are all free and have good ratings. So, friends, tell me... what are your favorite photography apps?  Is there anything else I need to add to my photography folder? {If you want to follow along on Instagam, my name is @jenrussum.} P.S. It's the last day of class for the semester!  Can I get a hoorah for summer vacation just around the corner? ... Read more