Creating A Vision Board That Actually Works

Truth be told, I first wrote this post in January 2020. Boy, have things changed. I juggled with the idea of posting about a vision board since I think we can all agree that our future feels very uncertain right now. I don’t know where I’ll be three months from now – let alone 3 days from now (probably still sitting in my apartment).

As things in LA start to shut down again and the thought of another quarantine circles my head, it’s been hard to find a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve realized as these long days and short months go by, that it is extremely important to keep a positive mindset even when you feel like the world is high key falling apart.

Having this extra time at home gives us all an opportunity to think about what we want to accomplish once all of this is over. Not to mention, we now have the time to make the first step. So without further ado, here is the tea on how I made my vision board + how you can too!

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I first started making these boards in 2017 because my mom had the idea and made us all do them on Christmas. My siblings and I ~reluctantly~ agreed and it ended up being a super fun tradition (aka we haven’t done it again but I am going to make it a tradition) that I really enjoy. I like being able to look back at what I was hoping to achieve throughout the year and see what changed, what worked, and how far I’ve come since then.

So – today I’m going to break down how I like to do the vision boards and I’ll also share what my 2020 vision board looks like. I hope this motivates you to also make your vision board and inspires you to set goals for now and for when COVID is over.

1. Ask someone to do this with you

(Almost) everything is better shared with a friend, a significant other, or just anyone you enjoy spending time with. Ask someone, or if your friends are like mine, tell someone that they are going to make a vision board with you – it will be fun, it will be motivating, and they won’t regret it.

2. Gather your supplies

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There aren’t many supplies but you will be needing some key ingredients to make the best vision board.

1 – Posterboard, I would recommend the type that isn’t flimsy so it’s easy to put up and doesn’t look like your fourth-grade science fair project… I should probably take my own advice because I got the flimsy kind.

2 – Scissors, you ever made a collage before?

3 – Magazines on magazines, from Vogue to Travel + Leisure to Time, pick up anything you can find around the house!

4 – Glue, stick, gun, Elmer’s, tacky – do what you want it’s not like I need a play by play.

3. Make a night out of it – cute drinks, snacks, etc.

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Now that you’ve ordered supplies from Amazon or scavenged your house for old magazines, you’re going to want to make sure to get the more important, more caloric, supplies. Some wine and cheese, as we did, or whatever it is that you can order for take out – support your local small businesses!

4. Start tearing through those magazines

This is my favorite part. Tear out every and any page that inspires you, motivates you, or makes you happy. I like tearing through those magazines and not thinking too much about it. Pull out the whole page, you’ll come back to it later and decide what you want to keep and what you’ll toss.

5. Layout

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For the layout, you’ll want to first start by thinking about what your goals and aspirations are in your life. Vision boards are a great way to be creative and you don’t have to follow any rules – you’re free to do whatever you want. For me personally, I like to separate my short term goals from my long term. I like to set it up so it reads like a story starting from the left and moving towards the right as my life goes on.

Start looking through everything you’ve set aside once you have an idea of how you want your vision board to look. Now, lay out all of your photos and play with them until they look perfect to you!

6. Paste

Once you’re ready to commit – paste those babies on.

7. Present

I always love this part because it lets you see what your friends are looking to achieve in their lives that you might not realize already. Also, it lets you speak about your vision board and hear what you want to achieve that year out loud.

8. Put it in a place where you’ll see it every day

I put mine up behind my bedroom door that way I see it every morning when I wake up and walk out of my room and every night when I shut my door for bed. I can’t explain how rewarding it feels to see something on there and realize I have accomplished that goal.

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I hope you take this into consideration the next time you’re sitting on your couch telling your brother, sister, roommate, mom, dad, or pet that you are bored and you don’t know what to do. I know it can sound super cheese but I really believe taking the steps to acknowledge your goals is only going to make you feel better and help motivate you to achieve them. Times are tough rn, but it’s all about your mindset. So why not try doing something that will help you better it?? Asking for a friend.

Love you guys,

Phil

P.S. Send pics of your boards if you decide to give it a try!

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19 things I want to accomplish in 2019

Hello world, hello 2019 (has it really already been 22 days?), and hello short week! I usually stay away from New Years resolution because (pardon my French) I think they’re bullshit. I literally can never stick to them – like oh you want to eat healthy this year??? OK, how about McDonald’s on New Years Day?

This year I want to look at resolutions from a different perspective and put less pressure on starting January 1st and having to stick to it for the year. I want to put my best foot forward (my right foot to be exact because that’s my good side) and accomplish the most I can to better myself everyday.

Here’s a list of 19 things I want to accomplish in 2019 and hopefully every year from now on – for the most part – because I don’t know if I’ll be wishing to save for Coachella when I’m 40. I hope this list motivates you to be your best self in 2019 and I nominate you to comment what you want to accomplish this year!

  1. Wake Up Early
  2. Drink more water
  3. Post Consistently
  4. Create unique content
  5. Don’t touch my eyebrows (got this one from Bre Sheppard – eyebrow queen)
  6. Visit Seattle (all around travel more)
  7. Get my first collaboration
  8. Gym Gym Gym 
  9. Learn how to keep my plants alive (just picked up How Not to Kill your Houseplant by Veronica Peerless.. so far so not good)
  10. Save for Coachella
  11. Save for life
  12. Send out postcards
  13. Learn Spanish (duo lingo app is easy and fun for learning a new language)
  14. Eat clean (less chick-fil-a more home-made-fil-a)
  15. Read more books
  16. Be positive (my boyfriend and I created a system where overtime we say something negative about ourselves we add 25 cents to our designated jars.. maybe I’ll save up for Coachella faster than I thought !!)
  17. Create a 5 minute daily mindfulness practice (journaling, meditation, etc)
  18. Be present (stop stressing about the future and what will come, if I work hard now everything will be as it should in the future)
  19. Be consistent in my goals (don’t give up when thing’s aren’t going as planned or when things get tough)

I’m excited to see what 2019 has in store! Don’t forget to comment on this post and tell me what you want to accomplish and if we share any of the same goals for this year. As always – don’t forget to follow my blog by adding your email on the right hand side of this page! You’ll help me get one step closer towards my goals and also receive direct posts sent to your inbox when I post every Monday and Friday!

ILY GUYS
SEE YOU NEXT TIME
XX, PHIL

Vicenta’s

If you’re anything like me and you use wherethefuckshouldigoeat.com on the reg because you never know what you’re in the mood for, then listen up because I found the perfect spot. If you’re in the Santa Barbara / Goleta / Isla Vista / California / America area you need to try Vicenta’s Mexican Restaurant.

I had the chance to go and try out different dishes from the menu they are serving and holy GUAC it’s delicious. I’m the weird type of person who needs to be “in the mood” for Mexican food and doesn’t freak out about Taco Tuesday… yeah I know I’m not normal (same goes for peanut butter but that’s for another time) but you best believe that I am ALWAYS going to be in the mood for Vicenta’s and their churros. See churro porn below:

CHURROS
Served with raspberry, chocolate, and vanilla dipping sauce

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So as a PSA I’m gonna show you some of my favorite dishes and drinks that you should NEED to try out when you go Vicenta’s!

VICENTA’S FRIES
French fries, parmesan cheese, parsley, black truffle oil, grilled onion tartar, and spicy chipotle ketchup
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CASCARAS DE PAPA CANTINERAS
Potato skin sautéed with tomato sauce, onion, Chile Serrano, and cilantro
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QUESO CILANTRO
Mozzarella cheese breaded with Mexican panko in green sauce, served with flour tortillas

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Grilled salmon, chile guajillo, garlic, olive oil, and rice

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Costilla De Rez 10oz
Short rib slow cooked for 8 hours, served with rice and beans

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AGUACHILE DE CAMARON
Shrimp marinated in green sauce, Serrano pepper, cilantro, cucumber, avocado, red onion and lime

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Panko crusted think steak, beans, rice, pico de Gallo, avocado, melted cheese, and chipotle aioli, served with fries

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And the best part (obviously) the boooooze

BLOOD ORANGE MARGARITA

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PINEAPPLE DAIQUIRI 

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RYE NOT?

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WATERMELON MARGARITA 

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See you there!

@vicentasresaurant

XX,

Phil

Arlington Plaza Christmas Market

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Everything about it is just the best. The smells, the food, the decorations, the songs, the hygge!!!! It’s all endless!! One of the best parts of Christmas is being able to give (and receive) (jk not jk) presents to all the people you love the most. Sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to find the perfect gift for someone but places like the 2nd Annual Arlington Plaza Christmas Market make it easy because everything is so freakin’ adorable! Plus – there’s churros, tamales, and hot cocoa to enjoy while you shop. Oh and did I mention Santa is there.. he asked me if his mustache curls were even so I’d say we’re on pretty good terms.

The Christmas Market features a bunch of local Santa Barbara purveyors selling the cutest products. I went around and got to take pictures to give you guys a glimpse of what’s available but there’s still a chance to go and check it out for yourself, if you haven’t yet, because tonight (12/7) is the last day. Santa and shops will all be there from 4-9pm! If you’re reading this too late, no worries, hopefully the pictures will give you a sense of the event but you can always stop by the actual boutiques any other day!

(All the boutiques / stores will be linked at the end)

 

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Did I mention there’s complimentary face painting?

 

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I hope you get the chance to go and check it out for yourself and don’t forget to grab some hot cocoa and treats!

Happy Holidays

xx Phil

@arlingtonplazasb
@shopdusk
@renaudspatisserie
@adoptanelephant
@carlitoscafeycantina
@dianiliving
@dianiboutique
@privatechefrobin
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@sbapothecaryco
@katemmchale

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August Favorites

This month I might have gone a little overboard with the spending but all together it was money well spent. It was officially the last week of summer this week and I have listed all of my favorites from a range of topics like beauty, fashion, music, and more.

(If you want to check any of these items out click on the picture to directly access the link)

B E A U T Y  

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This face wash and Clarisonic Mia 2 duo is the key to clear skin. I stopped using it for a couple months and I felt the difference in my skins appearance and texture. I decided to buy the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser again and have noticed a huge difference in the week I’ve been using it.

A cheaper alternative to the Clarisonic Mia 2 can be found here, according to the recent Amazon reviews.

The Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara is the best mascara I’ve used in a very long time. I just recently got eyelash extensions so I can no longer use this mascara while  I have them but this mascara definitely gives you that full, dark, lash that fake eyelashes or extensions give you.

Screen Shot 2018-09-05 at 8.53.02 PM.pngI love using this Too Faced Chocolate Gold Bronzer for contouring. It’s a golden brown with some shimmer which gives you a perfect highlight and glow to your whole look.

F A S H I O N

Screen Shot 2018-09-05 at 4.42.26 PMThis I.AM.GIA jacket has been on my wishlist forever (along with everything else they sell) but I could never justify the purchase until I saw it was on sale on Princess Polly from the regular $80 price tag to $58. I know I am going to be wearing this jacket every day this fall.

Screen Shot 2018-09-05 at 4.44.42 PMThe dad shoes have been catching my eye for months but I never thought I’d be able to pull them off. Of course, the Balenciaga Triple S would be the dream, but I can’t justify buying a $900 sneaker when I have piles of student loans to pay off. When I saw that DSW was carrying the FILA sneakers for only $60 I knew I had to make the move. I saw these everywhere when I was in Paris and there’s so many different ways to style them I just told myself fuck it I can pull them off.

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My favorite jeans ATM are these Wild Fable jeans from the new Target collection. I have a blog post coming up with all my favorite items from the collection but this is hands down my favorite piece I got. They’re cute, trendy, and comfortable everyone always asks me where I got them!

B E D R O O M  

Beginning on August 1st I moved into a two bedroom apartment with one of my besties which means we needed (and still need) a lot of furniture and decorations. I’ve been ordering items from Amazon religiously and making daily trips to Target but here I’ve listed a few of my favorite affordable finds that I purchased for my bedroom and living room.

Himalayan Salt Lamps (Set of 2) Essential Oil Diffuser

Essential Oils Set : My favorites from this set that I always have in my diffuser are Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Orange.

Large Plant Pot Cover : I ordered this planter to stick my perfect new plant that I scored from Home Depot for only $40. It’s my favorite piece in my new room!
Fake Ivy Hanging Plant (2 piece) : I love resting this on shelves to add to the decor. Although fake plants aren’t the best feng shui I feel like they’re still cute to pair with surrounding real plants.

50301089_Alt04Round Decorative Wall Mirror

M U S I C

Screen Shot 2018-09-05 at 4.33.00 PM In My Mind – Dynoro, Gigi D’Agostino

&burn_photo &burn – Billie Eilish Vince Staples

eed79cf1998beab78bdceaf8b112f19a.1000x1000x1 Worst of You – Maisie Peters

3a06e715a0edeb87d8a356156e65da29.1000x1000x1 Hurt – Sasha Sloan

M O V I E

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I’m not much of a movie person simply because once I get through the popcorn, the buncha crunch, and the XL slurpee I start getting antsy and can’t sit through a two hour long movie with no breaks. But it happens once in a while where I catch a trailer and I get really excited to go see a certain movie, this month it was Crazy Rich Asians. I went to see it and I could not recommend it more to anyone. It brings out all of the feels – laughter, tears, clinical depression and jealousy. And if you’ve seen it or you’re going to see it all I have to say is… THE WEDDING SCENE.

T E C H

This popsocket has changed the game. I am obsessed. Everyone says to get one but you don’t know until you know – I don’t know how I held my phone before this… the days of me dropping it on my face are behind me.

 

Hope you enjoy my August favs!

XX,

P H I L