Making a Comeback... and Looking for Some Help

So I'm pretty freaking excited to get back into blogging. It's something that has remained on my mind every day even though I wasn't posting. This space was not only a place for me to express myself, but it allowed me to get creative, whether with posting, with writing, or just trying out new things in general. Being so drained physically, emotionally, and mentally from the changes in my life just really kept me from being able to commit and be consistent with my writing. 
However, now that my life is finally calming down a bit (with the exception of school starting in less than two weeks), I now feel like I am in a perfect place to be able to get back on board with blogging. 
That's when this post comes in. 
So I've never been afraid to ask for help, and I want to get some help from you now, if at all possible. 
I'm looking for people to collaborate with! With some things that I'm going to be doing on the blog soon, I wanna partner with others to get a great community going here of people who are just livin' and lovin' their lives. 
I'm looking for: 

• Bloggers currently in or have previously been in long distance relationships (LDRs) to share blog posts they've written about it to potentially be used in a future LDR post
• LDR stories from anyone, blogger or not!
• Asian American Bloggers, UNITE
• Brands to collaborate with, whether fashion, faith-related, beauty, or anything regarding relationships
• Local Southern California bloggers to meet up & collaborate with, either with a post or a video or a photoshoot, anything really! I'm down to just hang out haha. 
• Bloggers in general who want to collaborate or just talk! I am so extroverted & love meeting/getting to know new people! I might even just consider having a pen pal!
• Local LA/Orange County photographers looking to expand their portfolio. Let's get shooting!
• Even if you don't fit any of the other categories but wanna just talk, please reach out to me!

Whatever category you fit into or just want to talk, please shoot me an email! kriselle @ livinandlovin . com (take out the spaces). Or comment below if that is easier for you. Either way. I'm looking forward to collaborating with tons of people soon and getting this blog back up & running :)

My Life // Transitions // Sorry Not Sorry

Wow, hello there! 

To all of you reading this, I salute you! My life has been pretty crazy & while I am sorry for not posting about all the great things I have to share with you, at the same time I'm not sorry because I'm also just trying to live my life.  Much of the reason that I haven't been on here too often is because of work. For those of you living on your own, then you know that the hustle is real because bills and rent. I've been working two jobs about 30 hours a week total on top of doing other gigs to help compensate for missing pieces in my expenses. 
Another reason I've been MIA, which I've been talking about for a while now, is Darell leaving for Australia in less than 3 weeks. I've been trying to enjoy every moment I can with him before he leaves, but he's also bugging me to get back to blogging so he's going to be helping me get back on track with that haha. 

Now I write all of this to apologize for not being consistent over the past few months because I have/had so many great posts planned but life has been getting in the way. 
However, having said all that, I'm not sorry at the same time for not posting because life has been getting in the way. 
I mean, not that I haven't been living my life before, but I've been enjoying the things I've been getting the chance to do, even work. I still post bloggy-related things on Instagram, Twitter, and occasionally Facebook when I get the chance, so I'm not completely off the grid in the blog/social media world. 
If anything, I'm more connected to it because of the current job I have. I won't talk too much about it for right now because the last time I did I got screwed over & I'll leave things at that. But once things settle a bit in this job/internship I'll talk a little bit more about it because I'm using the skills I've learned as a blogger & applying it to this job. Once I'm a little more settled in this job I'll talk about what I've learned from being on both ends--as a blogger & as the brand reaching out to bloggers. 
But enough of that for now. I'll be back, eventually. I'll be back to my usual 3 post a week schedule, but until then, I'm gonna live my life, whether that's enjoying the good things or having the private time to deal with the bad. If you are a blogger & in the same boat as me or feeling the same pressures as me to write, you are not alone. & if you do it, like a good blogger friend told me, screw what everyone else thinks. Your true fans will stay committed to you & support you every step of the way. 

Livin' and Lovin' for 2 Years feat. Favorite Posts and What Blogging Has Done for Me

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME! Livin' and Lovin' has been my baby for the past two years, and although the past few months have been so rough for me, I couldn't be more blessed to have the opportunity to do what I do and to have had the opportunities I've had as a result of my blog. I have met so many great people and had so many doors opened for me because of my blog; I could not be more thankful for the support that I've had along the way. 
I did a huge giveaway last year, but with all the changes going on in my life over the past few weeks, I figured that I should just look back on some of my favorite posts and talk about what blogging has done for me, not only professionally but personally as well. 
My Top 3 Favorite Posts:  Pocahontas Look

This was my first makeup look that I did on this blog, and I was quite pleased with it for my first time! I love using makeup to transform my look in general, and being able to publish this felt great for me. 
Gamer Girlfriend Problems

One of the things about my blog that I think makes me stand out is my connection to the gaming world because of my boyfriend, Darell. I like playing video games, but I don't play his favorite game, League of Legends. This is the post that started all of my #gamergfprobs posts on the blog. 

Relationship Tips from Every Stage: Single, Dating, Engaged, Married

Hands down, this is my favorite post to date. I wrote this post just in time for Valentine's Day this year. I shared tips from people in different stages of relationships (including singles!) that they've all learned in their own experiences. This post definitely renewed my love and passion for telling stories, and I hope to continue doing so. 
-------------------------------------
What Blogging Has Done for Me: When I first started blogging two years ago, I didn't realize just how many doors would be opened for me and what I would learn about myself as a result. I could not be more blessed. 
I have met great people, attended posh events, had great job opportunities, and just have had so much fun investing all the time and energy that I have into this blog. Blogging has also showed me that I can do more with communication and journalism than just blogging and writing. It has opened me up to the world of social media and that entire industry. 
I was into social media before blogging, but after I started this blog I realize how vital it is for a brand or business of any sort to utilize it to their advantage. In the past few months I have been working on my own social media and helping out brands and businesses with their own to help them grow and succeed as well. 
Blogging has even showed me things outside of blogging like the kinds of workouts I like! Through my blog I discovered my love for aerial silks and am taking classes for it weekly as a result. 
I've also met great people, including now one of my really good real life friends, Raewyn from Be a Warrior Queen.
So blogging has been quite the adventure over the past two years but it has been well worth it. I'm excited for what will come up of my blog in the years to come! Whether you have been with me since the beginning or just discovered my blog, thank you for your support over the past 2 years. I appreciate you. 

2015: The Year of Making Things Happen

Happy New Year!
I hope that you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve celebration last night. I know I did! But now, it is finally 2015, so let's get down to business. (points if you finished those lyrics and got that reference!)
2015 is going to be a big year for me. I'm going to hit a lot of milestones, and I'm also going to be celebrating some with the boyfriend, Darell, as well. There is a lot that I want to accomplish this year, and everything that I do this year will set the tone for next year (I also have some huge goals for 2016 as well. I know, I'm thinking waay ahead). 
I know that everyone talks about resolutions for the new year, but I don't like using that word because I feel like there is a more likely chance not to accomplish your goal if you use that term. Because let's be real: how many people actually finish their New Year's Resolutions from the beginning of the year to the end? 
Because of that, I refer to my "resolutions" as goals. Here are my goals for this year, not only for this blog, but my personal goals as well: 
Blog Goals: [] Rebrand/redo the blog design (only tweaks, not a complete overhaul :) [] Get back into #ootd posts, at least biweekly [] Host at least one giveaway every quarter [] Have Instagram following hit 1K [] Have Twitter following hit 1K  [] Attend at least two blogger events [] Develop at least 2 new blogger friendships [] Collaborate with more local brands and shops [] Launch my two projects I'm working on by June of this year :] [] Participate in at least one full-on photoshoot (with a hair stylist, makeup artist, a stylist, everything) [] Get published in a large publication (online or print) [] Host my first blogger event
Personal Goals: [] Go on a road trip with friends [] Get my own apartment! [] Learn to cook a Filipino dish that isn't lumpia [] Travel out of the country [] Find a job that will give me a stable income (or at least have my current job give me a more stable income) [] Turn 21 haaaay  [] Have my first legal drink (after I graduate and am off contract from my school, of course #Vanguardproblems) [] Witness Darell graduate & receive his AA!  [] Have a GPA of at least a 3.5 or higher for my last two semesters of college [] Go to Camp Whittle  [] Go back to Royal Family Kids Camp [] Read at least 6 novels for pleasure (since 12 didn't work last year) [] Go on a date with Darell where we look like tourists/too rich for our own good haha [] GRADUATE COLLEGE
Okay, so one of the main things I'm excited for is graduating college. As of right now, I'm set to graduate this December, and even though that's not until the end of the year, it's a pretty great thing to look forward to. And I also want to take this blog to the next level too. I'll be going on 2 years with the blog this year, and I want to really propel it into what I envision it to becoming. 
I'm declaring 2015 as the year of making things happen, and I hope that you will declare that for your life this year as well. Here's to a new year!
What are your goals for this year? What are you going to do differently?

Apologies and Updates

Lately I've been such a terrible blogger! And I'm so sorry about that. I just came back from camp last week and I'm also dealing with a lot of personal issues that have really been hindering me from posting as regularly as I normally do. 
I will still be posting at least once or twice a week! Please don't get that mistaken. I still have so many posts for you guys, but it's just a matter of when I get to sit down and write them that will be the issue. And I'll still be active on other social media like Twitter and Instagram, but I won't be talking about much blog stuff for a while. 
What I'm basically asking is: Just please be patient with me as I figure some stuff out! I want to be more active, but for right now I'm just too drained in different aspects of my life to do so, to be honest. Like I said, I'll still be posting at least once or twice a week, but it may not be consistent and it won't be thrice a week like I normally do. 
That's really all I can say for right now, thank you so much for your patience!

Let's Get Sentimental: A Look Back + New Blog Goals

So yesterday was my blog's official first anniversary date. I decided to keep yesterday's post pretty short because I know people wanted to enter my giveaway and not read about past posts from my blog! Haha shoot, I probably would be the same way too if I were on another blog.

Anyway, so today I wanted to get a little sentimental and talk a little bit about my blog from the past year. No, I won't go into some emotional rant, but I just want to share some of my favorite blog posts from the past year then look at what I've accomplished through my blog and what I want to accomplish in the next year.

My Favorite Blog Posts by Category: 

Fashion:

DIY: Denim Shorts from Dad Jeans: I had a lot of fun with this DIY and it is also one of my most popular posts of all time! If you want to turn your old jeans into denim shorts, check out this post!

Two Ways to Wear: Tribal Print Crop Top: I wrote this post back when I was part of Macy's Campus Tour a couple months back, and I just had so much fun with it! I loved putting the outfits together and writing the post. 

Blog Anniversary + Giveaway + New Link-Up Announcement!

This is me being excited for you guys.

So I have a few very exciting things to share with you all regarding my blog.

ONE: My blog's anniversary is next week on Thursday, May 29th! In honor of this huge milestone, I'll be having a week of posts about my blog and all that jazz.

TWO: On top of that, I will be hosting a giveaway with tons of other bloggers to give away a total of 5 prizes! Keep an eye out for that because blogger or not, guy or girl, there is a chance for everyone to win!

THREE: I will be hosting my first-ever link-up! This announcement is a huge part of the reason for this post because I will be explaining the gist of it and previewing it here.

New Design, New Hair, New Feeling

Yay!

It seems as if every few months I redo my blog. Well, I'm always trying to improve my blog and make it better, and I think I just may have hit gold with my design this time!

With the referral of a blogger friend of mine in the Her Campus Blogger Network that I'm a part of, I found Nicole Rose Designs. As you can see, my blog has been completely redone with her help. I'm still trying to tweak a couple small things, but the basis of my blog redesign is done. Doesn't it look beautiful?

If you need Rose to design your website or blog, I would definitely recommend her. The best part? She does designs for FREE. I know, it's a word you almost never hear nowadays.

Of course, she does accept donations, but she does amazing work and I will definitely keep coming back to her for blog designs! Don't believe me? She has her portfolio posted on her blog and she can do just about anything that you ask from her. If you decide to ask her to do designs for you, let her know that I recommended you [:

Updated, Upgraded

Happy Monday! If you've been following or reading my blog for a while, then you've probably seen that there have been a few changes happening slowly, but surely throughout the blog. Last week, I finally got around to changing my navigation menu to have a "home" button so that it could fit onto the row! And this past weekend, I was able to make quite a few more "subtle" changes to the blog:

+ SIDEBAR: I changed the fonts and sizes of the titles on the sidebar so that my sidebar wouldn't be so long.
+ SOCIAL MEDIA: With the help of Google, I was able to create myself new social media icons that I customized for myself! And quite frankly, they look so cute with the color they have.
+ NEW BLOG BUTTON: I created a blog button! I actually have a couple made, depending on the size of the sidebar, but here are the bigger versions (feel free to grab my button on the sidebar if you'd like!):

Feel free to grab my button on my sidebar if you'd like to take me with you and place it on your blog! If you like the first one, let me know and I can get you a code for that [: I like both because they are two completely different pictures, but yet I love the style of the buttons.

+ FEATURED: Otherwise known as sponsors. These are going to mostly be people who are friends with my blog or like my blog and want to display an "ad" for their blog on mine to advertise, and this brings me to my next point:
+ SPONSOR/SERVICES: I started a new page for sponsoring and other services! Sponsoring is pretty cheap and you get a lot for your money so if you are ever at all interested, give me a holler [: I am also offering blog consultation services, prices varying depending on your situation! I'm still trying to figure out what other services I can/will be offering so expect to see more ways for you to support me soon [:

Having said all of that, I would like to introduce you to my first sponsor ever! Say hello to Jay, from Mind of Mcshorty. She is originally from the Virgin Islands but going to school in Texas! She started her blog to vent and talk about her life and what she was going through. I just recently met her from the Her Campus Blogger Network and so far, she is a pretty awesome girl! I'm excited to get to know her through her blog and through having her as a sponsor on my blog this month [: Go check her out!

So, there you have it! That was an intro to my first sponsor of this blog, and a little update on the changes happening on this blog! I'm still tweaking some things, and I will update you as those happen. I also have some great series and other projects planned for you guys over the course of the next few weeks, so stay tuned and connected to me!

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Until then,