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Black Maxi Dress (and Proof Once Again that I'm NOT a Fashion Blogger)

for realz, people.  serious fashion bloggers don't just decide willy-nilly to do a post and then take four photos on their iphone (self timer for the win!) while they're sitting in their office.  they plan on taking photos ahead of time and they have someone with a fancy (i.e. real) camera take a great photo of them in some brick-lined cobblestone alleyway, right?  

which is why my outfit posts are few and far between.  but this outfit was just so comfy and wonderful (seriously, maxi dresses are my new obsession), that i wanted to share.  it was one of those outfits that made me feel good, you know?  coincidentally, the last fashion post i think i did also featured my jean jacket…can you tell what's a favorite wardrobe staple for me?

note to self:  plan outfit posts better.  or don't try to be a fashion blogger.  eh, who am i kidding?

oh, and make sure you enter my giveaway to win $50 to beyondtherack.com so you can get a black maxi dress and do an awkward outfit post like me!!

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Summer Wardrobe Refresh (+ a Giveaway)

summer is here and in full swing!  it's been in the 80s all week here in pa and i've been loving the opportunity to wear shorts and skirts and dresses!  i picked up my very first maxi dress last week and i kind of never want to take it off!  (so much so, that aj actually commented on how much i was wearing it.  you know it's bad when the boy notices you're wearing something a lot.)  so i went out and got myself two more!

here are a few things that are on my summer wish list:

a few more maxi dresses perhaps?

some cute sandals

patterned shorts

the perfect pair of jean shorts (i cannot find some that i really love…any tips?)

tank tops & pretty blouses

so, in order to get your summer wardrobe refreshed for the season, i'm partnering with beyondtherack.com to offer one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate for any purchase from the site!

beyondtherack has also offered all readers who enter this giveaway a $10 credit just for creating an account on their site.  you can't beat that with a stick!  just use the invitation code: BETSY10

beyondtherack is a private shopping club that carries clothing, shoes, and accessories for men & women and even has home decor!  the brands range from kenneth cole to lacoste, to bcbgeneration, and their prices are awesome.  most of the items i found on their site were less than $20!

join beyond the rack today and you'll get exclusive access to top designer brand fashions, accessories, beauty products, and home decor at up to 80% off! 

so go check out beyondtherack and enter below to win $50 from them! (all entries will be verified so play fair!)

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what summer wardrobe staples are you hoping to add to your closet this year?

Starting the Week with a Grateful Heart (+ a Giveaway!)

this week, i'm grateful for one thing:  jesus.

because jesus = hope.
jesus = life.
jesus = healing.
jesus = comfort.

we got some not-so-good news about my dad last week.  his cancer has stopped responding to the meds he was on and so that means a little bit of waiting (the worst part of it all), and a trip down to penn tomorrow to figure out what the next step is.  he's in the hands of one of the best thoracic oncologists there is, and of course, more importantly, the hands of jesus, but this ride is still pretty scary.

so today, my heart is particularly grateful for a relationship with the ONE who saves, the one who gave it all so that we may have eternal life in him forever.  i'm grateful that he upholds the weak and broken and gives shelter and refuge to the weary.  i'm grateful that we have a support system of prayer warriors surrounding us, and i'm grateful that HE has the last word.

as usual, i'm linking up with ember grey for grateful heart monday! emily runs the grateful heart link-up every monday, and it's open all week…i encourage you to go check it out, read some of the other posts, and consider participating!

i'm also partnering with rachel at oh simple thoughts and a bunch of other wonderful bloggers to bring you an awesome giveaway!  check out these girls' blogs and enter away below!

Oh Simple Thoughts // Modern Common Place Book // Heavens To Betsy // Rivers and Roads // Simply Sweet Melissa // The Ashcraft Bunch // Frankly My Dear // The Wetherills Say I Do // Half Pint Prints // A to Z // Rachel Rewritten // Flowers in my Hair

the giveaway will be live until this friday, june 13th. all entries will be verified so play fair! good luck!

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what are you grateful for today?

Why You Shouldn't Cut Yourself Short by Undercharging

i'm gonna be really honest with you right off the bat:  this post is probably more aimed at me than you, friend.

the farther into the world of freelancing (photography + design) i get, the more i'm realizing that what i do is worth what i'm asking for it.  i wrote this post last week on why freelancing is both awesome & awful at the same time, and one of the most difficult things about being your own boss that i've found is figuring out what to charge and how to get people to pay what you're asking.

one of the hardest pills to swallow is when someone tells you "i'm gonna go with someone else because they're giving me a discount" or tells you that their budget is $X when you're charging $X+10.

i love my clients and i always try to work with their budgets, but i'm learning that sometimes, a client will expect way more than what they're paying for.  (for example, if you're shooting a wedding and a bride asks you to cut your prices and add extra things to the package, like a second shooter or an engagement shoot…when that happens, i might end up only charging $1,000 for what should be a $1,600 package.)

yes, it's good to cut deals for clients, especially when your business is just getting rolling.  and of course it's worth it to offer discounts when it will be the incentive a client needs to utilize your services.

but don't sell yourself short by undercharging.  your talents are worth what you think they're worth!  too many freelancers undercharge for their creativity and time just because they're afraid a client won't pay what they're asking.

so here are a few ways to stop undercharging for your services:

1.  compare. // normally, i wouldn't recommend comparing yourself to other photographers/designers, etc.  but in this case, it's good to know what the market runs for similar services.  if you're charging $5,000 to do photography for a wedding, you're not booking clients, and most photographers in your area are only charging in the $2,000-$3,000 range, then you might want to reconsider your pricing.

2.  talk budget. // i always like to get a feel for what a client's budget is when i start a project for them.  (this is really specifically for larger projects that will cost more, like a wedding, vs smaller projects, like a senior photo shoot)  finding out what your client can pay or has budgeted will help you determine what you can actually do for them.

3.  create levels in your pricing. // when aj meets with a client who is interested in his web design services, he gives options.  putting together packages with more/less extensive services (more customization options, more shooting time, etc.) allows your client to feel like they have some control over what they're going to pay and it also allows you to be realistic about what you can offer for what you're charging.

4.  don't be afraid to change your prices. // if it's just not working for you, then remember it's ok to change what you charge!  you need to be honest with yourself about the amount of time you're putting into a project vs how much you're making, but you also need to be making money!  so don't fret about changing your pricing structure from time to time while you figure out what works for your market & client base.

5.  shed the guilt! // there's always a level of guilt for me when giving a client pricing.  (i'm not sure where that comes from, but it's really just annoying!)  stop feeling guilty for asking for a fair payment for your talents and own it!  you're awesome and you deserve what you're asking for.

so what are some ways you determine pricing?  what do you find helpful when deciding how much to charge a client?

Splurge v. Save // The Perfect Summer Bag

you know those purchases that you save and save and save for?  the ones that you contemplate and shop around for and really just talk yourself in and out of buying over and over again?

that's been my purse shopping journey for the past few months. i had been carrying a great steve madden bag that i picked up at marshall's all winter.  i loved it, but it was black and i was just ready for something a little more colorful for summer.  i shopped and shopped and just couldn't find anything i truly loved.  then, thanks to pinterest, i saw two bags that i loved.  

the coach legacy mini tanner...the color is wonderful…that mint!  it's a favorite of mine.  but it was a little too structured for me for summer…i need something a little more casual.  i recently told a friend that i need to be able to imagine myself walking down the boardwalk with my summer purse slung around me.  the legacy bag just didn't fit that build.  

but that's when the thompson fold over tote caught my eye.  (this is actually a men's bag, but i don't see why it's not unisex at best.  plus, i don't personally know any guy who would wear a bag like this.  sure the colors are more masculine, but i just don't know.)  anyway, this bag is slouchy and if it were in the mint color, it would be perfect for summer.  except for the price tag.  at close to $500 each, there was no way i was ever dropping the cash on either of these bags, however pretty they are!

when erin from credit card insider contacted me a few weeks ago asking me to participate in a splurge v. save campaign that they were doing, and i knew my summer bag shopping experience was the perfect fit.

after shopping around, i eventually found and fell in love with the erin tote from fossil.  it was still close to $200 on their website, and i was still too cheap to drop that amount of money on a purse, even if it was leather and pretty much everything i was looking for.  so i left it at the store and kept looking.

but i kept thinking about it, and when aj and i were near a fossil outlet right before memorial day, i popped in and looked at it again.  and this time, to my delight, it was on sale.  i ended up paying a little over $100 for the bag...not a steal, necessarily, but definitely a worthy investment in my opinion!  it's a quality piece, made of leather, a great color, and everything i was looking for in a bag.  and at a fraction of the cost of the coach bags i looked at!

i am a-ok with spending a little more money than i normally might on really quality pieces, and i love it even more when i can find those quality pieces on sale!  and that, my friends, is all about being smart about when you shop.  i'm convinced that it's worthwhile to invest in well-made pieces for your closet, but i am also a firm believer that you don't have to pay full price for those pieces…it's all about timing!

so what have you splurged or saved on lately?

To Boston & Back

last friday, aj and i hopped in the car and headed to boston to attend the wedding of two of my dear friends from college.  

rob & nicole are one of those couples who are absolutely perfect for one another. 

i met nicole my first week at gordon.  we were both freshman and on campus early for pre-season; her, track; me, field hockey.  we then discovered that we were both bio majors (she actually ended up with a degree in the subject, me, not so much), and stayed friends throughout our college experience.  eventually, we ended up in an apartment together our senior year and that's when our friendship solidified completely…nicole is one of those people who is crazy intelligent and who can hold a conversation about bioethics and then in the next breath be laughing hysterically at a youtube video.  she's passionate, caring, and intentional, and she made a gorgeous bride.  

i met rob our first year at gordon.  we lived in the same building and had some mutual friends.  i became friends with rob when our close friend group grew to include one another during our sophomore year, and then we both participated in a program that brought us into the same house during our junior year.  rob is also crazy smart (seriously, watch out for these two!) and so fun to be around.  once, after a huge nor'easter, rob agreed to drive a few of us all over the area just to look at the damage created by the storm and check out the swells from the waves.

their wedding was incredibly gorgeous.  it was all outdoors on a beautiful property and it was perfectly rob & nicole.  (plus, it was just wonderful to have the whole gordon gang back together!)

aj & i got up to the city on friday evening and we met his roommate, eric at this awesome cafe right off of the boston common.  i will be going back every time i'm in the city.  for real.  exposed brick walls, amazing lighting, great seating areas, a fireplace and bookcases stocked with antique books, high ceilings and exposed pipes.  such a cool atmosphere!

it occurs to me as i'm writing this post that i basically only took the same picture of aj and i the entire weekend.  as a wedding photographer, i try to be really really careful not to take my own photos during the ceremony of weddings i'm attending so i don't get in the photographer's way.  and then, once the reception rolled around, i was so busy catching up with people that i just didn't take photos.  oh well.

we spent a lovely morning in rockport on saturday.  if you're ever in the boston/north shore area, then you need to visit this quintessential coastal town.  walk all the way out bear skin neck, sit on the jetty, grab hot dogs and clam strips at top dog, have some chowder or a lobster at roy moore's, pick up some strudel at helmut's and coffee at the bean & leaf.  basically, just eat.  eat everything and it'll be wonderful and you can thank me later.

we make a pretty good lookin' couple, huh?  (p.s. this is my first maxi dress and i'm totally loving it.  i'm going to be living in this dress this summer.)

wedding selfie!  seriously though, this boy is adorable and my favorite and i think he's pretty fantastic.  he was such a trooper hanging out with all of my college friends.  he was so patient and made the weekend so fun for me!

we did a whole lot of driving last weekend.  driving the six hours north to boston and the six hours back, plus driving all over the north shore.  every time aj and i take a road trip, whether it be a weekend like this or just a day trip, i fall even more in love with him.  i remember our first day trip…it was about a month after we started dating and we went to baltimore for the day.  i felt like so much was riding on that day!  i was so nervous that it would be difficult to carry on conversation, that it wouldn't be effortless.  and now, almost two and a half years later, some of my favorite times have been spent in the car.  this weekend included.

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

my bff got married back in january and i got the privilege of being her moh.  it was so much fun to be a part of her special day, and even more so, the whole process of planning her wedding!  

i remember the night jen asked me to be her maid of honor.  she was so excited that she couldn't wait to see me at church, so she called and asked me over the phone.  i was just emotional in general because aj was getting ready to move to boston, but i sat on that phone call, crying and saying "i'd love to!"

she later gave me a mug that she had hand-painted with my name and "maid of honor" on it…it was so sweet!

i've been thinking about creative ways to ask your friends to be your bridesmaids, and decided to play around with creating some printable cards that any bride could use!  if you're interested in purchasing these cards, email me at betsygettis@gmail.com for more info!

how did you ask your bridesmaids to be part of your big day?

Starting Today with a Grateful Heart

it's grateful heart monday over on ember grey, and i've fallen in love with this habit of discussing some things i'm particularly grateful for every monday.

here's what i'm particularly grateful about today:

sunshine (and even the little sunburn i have on my shoulders)
a great weekend in massachusetts
a new dress
finding the perfect light pink nail polish
working at a job that i love
getting to see old friends
exciting projects at work
that aj and i get to work together this summer
some dreams & plans coming together for the future

as usual, i'm linking up with ember grey for grateful heart monday! emily runs the grateful heart link-up every monday, and it's open all week…i encourage you to go check it out, read some of the other posts, and consider participating!

what are you grateful for today?

5 Reasons Why Freelancing is Both Awesome & Awful...

i never planned on being a freelancer.  (and frankly, i'm not sure i can really call myself one since it's not the primary source of my income…)

but the reality is that i do quite a bit of freelance work on the side.  through photography, graphic design, even blogging.  the extra income is always welcome, and i love having these creative outlets to work through!  honestly, if i was booking enough, i think i could love being a full-time photographer and designer.  but for now, it continues to be a side job that i feel really lucky to be able to do.

if you do any amount of freelance work, then you know that there are moments when you're like... "yeah!  this is awesome!  i'm living my dream and doing what i want to do!"  and then there are also plenty of moments when you're more… "this is awful…i can't book anything and no one wants to pay what i'm asking and why did i ever think freelancing was a good idea anyhow??"

so here are the five highs and lows of my freelancing experience:

1. income! // awesome:  if you're like me and freelancing isn't your only source of income, then it's awesome to make a little extra money by using your creative talents!  awful:  it's not necessarily consistent.  i go through seasons of being really busy and it feels like the money is rolling in, and then other seasons when it just isn't.

2.  pricing // awesome:  freelancing allows you to set your own pricing for things.  you get to determine how long a project will take and what you're willing to do the job for.   awful:  pricing can be super tricky.  personally, i always feel bad charging close friends or family my normal prices for a photoshoot or design services.  and it never feels great when someone either tries to get you to charge less because they don't want to pay what you're asking, or when someone tells you they can't book you because they found "a better deal" with someone else.  but hey, that's the biz.  (check out this article by jon acuff on charging people for your services)

3.  self-promotion // awesome:  you get to say what you do and how you do it…you have control over how your services are branded and represented!  awful:  i hate having to promote myself or my services.  social media definitely makes it a little bit easier, but yeah, i still hate talking about myself or what i can do for people.

4.  business is booming!  ….or not // awesome:  you get to accept or turn down jobs that work for you or don't.  if you're just too busy, you can stop accepting jobs.  awful:  it's really hard to control that flow of business!  and it can be really discouraging when business is not booming or you put a sale out there and no one bites.

5.  time management // awesome:  you have complete control over your schedule.  you can work when you want to and aren't tied down to office hours and stuff like that.  i find that if i love what i'm doing, then i am constantly thinking about it or wanting to work on it.  awful:  if you're not good at managing your time or being self-motivated, then being your own boss is not an easy task.

so tell me…do you do any freelance work?  what are some ways you keep business going?  what do you find awesome or awful about it?

If We Got Together for Coffee...

…i'd want to drink mine out of a mug.  because it tastes better that way.

…unless it was warm out.  if it was warm out, i'd order an iced shaken passion tea.  or maybe an iced caramel macchiato.  (i'm assuming we'd meet at starbucks)

…i'd probably ask you what you've got on the agenda for summer.

…i'd want to take you for a spin in june!

…i'd ask you what your favorite ice cream flavor is, because it's warm out and i love ice cream!

…i'd tell you that i'm feeling very tired this week, after all the goings on with my family the past few weeks and now a bunch of sinus congestion that's just wearing me out.

…i'd ask what your favorite vacation spot is, and then daydream about it with you (as long as it includes warmth and sun.  if you want to vacation in, say, siberia, well then, you're on your own pal.)

…i'd tell you that i've been searching for a great summer purse, and i'm smitten with this one.

…i'd also tell you that i've wanted a longchamp tote for like, the past decade (not an exaggeration), and that i've been seriously considering investing.

…i'd probably ask you if you want to go shopping, because my summer wardrobe is just sad and i've had the hardest time finding things i love this year.

…i'd tell you that i'm linking up with a harvest of blessing!

what would you like to chat about over coffee?

Girl Talk // The Grateful Life

a little while ago, i started writing these grateful heart posts every monday, (thanks to emily at ember grey!)  starting my week off by listing some things that i'm grateful for has been an awesome practice, and one that has taken a lot longer than the past few weeks to get the hang of.

when i was in college, i started being intentional about living with a grateful heart.  i began looking for things to thank god for throughout my day.  when i grabbed the last bagel in the cafeteria or when a class got cancelled and i got to take a drive to the beach, i muttered a quick little "thank you" to jesus.

living with a constant sense of gratitude is one of the hardest things i can think of.  in a world that loves to complain, loves to belittle, loves to make things less than what they are, it can be difficult to find joy in the little things; in a parking space, your favorite coffee creamer being on sale, a passing rain shower.

and that's the problem, i think.  our world so often drowns out the gratitude.  ann voskamp once wrote that "our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in god and what he gives.  we hunger for something more, something other."

that so adequately describes our human nature, doesn't it?  from the beginning, when adam & eve took the fruit, they did so because they were led to believe that there was something more.  and we all must live with the weight of that decision, always managing the tension between what the world wants us to believe and what our god has for us.

but the thing, friends, is that the simple act of gratitude, of finding joy in the simplistic, in the everyday, in the seemingly ordinary, can do wonders in the way of managing that tension.  and it's not just being happy or thankful for what you find, but knowing who to thank.

so here are a few tips for you on your journey to living a more grateful life:

what things do you do to make sure you live a grateful life?

Meet June the Jetta!

well friends, here's an announcement i'm terribly excited to make…i bought a car!

my brother had an unfortunate accident in my car last june and i've been without one ever since. not a big deal since i live and home and my mom & i work at the same place, but still kind of a bummer.  for the first time in my 8 years of being a licensed driver, i didn't have a car!  

i decided a few months ago that it was high time that i get myself some wheels, but i didn't just want any car.  i wanted one that was going to last me a while, that would be a good car for aj & i to have once we get married/move/become adults, ya know.  and i've always loved vw's, and always have had my eye on a jetta!  so i found this little girl down in west chester and my uncle, dad, and i went last tuesday and i drove her home!

i'm absolutely loving her…she's pretty much everything i wanted and we're pretty perfect for each other…see?  don't i look like a jetta girl?

and of course, she couldn't leave the dealership without a name, so june the jetta it was!

do you name your cars?  

The Best Way to Start the Week

let me tell you what's not the best way to start the week:  waking up at 4:30am to your almost-8-month-old goldendoodle howling at his reflection in your back door.  ugh.  ollie, you're adorable and i love you, but i absolutely hate your tendency to bark at night.

however, what is the best way to start the week is with a grateful heart!  so, without further adieu….

here's what i'm particularly grateful about today:

a much-needed run yesterday
a new coffee cup from starbucks this morning
catching creamer on sale at the grocery store (2 for $3, baby!)
creativity
family support systems
some new clothes
my brand-new (to me) baby, june the jetta! (more on that later)
being productive
my mom's baked oatmeal

as usual, i'm linking up with ember grey for grateful heart monday! emily runs the grateful heart link-up every monday, and it's open all week…i encourage you to go check it out, read some of the other posts, and consider participating!

i'm also sharing a tutorial on making your own soy candles over at lovely does it today…so check that out!

and just as an added bonus for your monday….i'm offering all readers 60% off of any ad space/package with the code "springhassprung".

what are you grateful for today?

Nora & Brad's Engagement Shoot

i got a chance to do some engagement photos for aj's cousin nora and her fiancé, brad, over the weekend.  we had fun catching some evening sunlight and i'm really happy with how the photos turned out!  you can see more here.

Grateful Heart Monday

last week was crazy for my family.

my dad's mom was in the hospital from wednesday-thursday (two weeks ago) after having a tia (mini stroke, she's totally fine), and then my mom's mom fell outside her house on friday, landing herself in the er.  except she wasn't totally fine.  she had a stroke in her cerebellum, throwing off her balance, her blood sugar was sky-high, she became non responsive and started seizing, got herself one heck of a concussion, and checked into a room in the icu.  after being intubated with a breathing tube from friday-monday, she finally came off of all the sedation meds, started breathing on her own, and the tube came out on monday morning.  she's now in rehab and doing well, despite still being a little wobbly and having some lapses in memory.

besides all that went on with my grandmother, we had a little scare with my dad…he went to penn for his four-week check-up and has been struggling with a bit of a cough (always scary for a lung cancer patient).  a chest-xray revealed something in his left lung that the doctors decided they wanted a closer look at, so they did a ct scan on thursday and ended up finding that it was stable disease with one lymph node and one nodule just slightly larger than the previous read.  apparently these reads can be subjective so they're going to just keep and eye on it and they suspect the cough is from an infection so they put him on antibiotics.  either way, it was a nerve-wracking few days.

on top of all of that, aj's grandfather is also in the hospital and not doing too well, so if you can keep him and their family in your prayers, that would be much appreciated.

so anyway, all of this craziness makes this week's grateful monday post all the more necessary and personally encouraging.

here's what i'm particularly grateful about today:

family
being on the mend
health
the puppy gets a haircut tomorrow (he's solo scraggly)
sunshine
aj's home!
my bro is home for summer as well
a potential second job on the horizon
catching a much-needed nap yesterday (the past week and a half has been exhausting in every way)

as usual, i'm linking up with ember grey for grateful heart monday! emily runs the grateful heart link-up every monday, and it's open all week…i encourage you to go check it out, read some of the other posts, and consider participating!

and just as an added bonus for today….i'm offering all readers 70% off of any ad space/package with the code "springhassprung".

what are you grateful for today?

What's in a Name

my real name is elizabeth, but i've been called betsy since birth.

in 7th grade, i tried to be liz.  it lasted a month and i was back to betsy.

those who really know me just call me bets, and it's one of those things that makes me feel really close to people.

sometimes people call me liz or beth or some other shortened version of elizabeth and i cringe a little bit because that's. not. me.

and sometimes, someone i just met drops the "y" from my name and one of two things happens:
either it feels awkward, like they're pretending that we're super tight but in reality, we're not on the same page….
or it's awesome because i've totally been friend-crushing and the little nickname they just adopted for me makes me feel like that friend crush has been fulfilled.

i also realized that i'm the perpetrator of this sometimes.  i will write an email or respond to a tweet or even talk to someone in person and i shorten their name.

so what about you?  do you have a name that gets shortened a lot?  do you love it or hate it?

Lately // According to Instagram

i can't believe that may is here!  i feel like i've been telling myself that may will mean warmth is here for good, and today it definitely delivered.  we were in the mid-70s here in pa, which was pretty great after a few dreary, cold, rainy days.  (but we still are missing leaves on our trees!  what the heck!?)

so anyway, march & april were busy (let's be real, what months aren't?) with work and easter and two trips to boston, so here is what was going on via my instagram feed in the past month and a half!

boston at night // my first stitch fix

in the car with the pup and holding the pup (can you believe he's only 6 months old in these pics?)

singing on worship team // my first selfie for friday introductions

some sunlight and an april snow shower // free rita's on the first (chilly) day of spring

mercury glass // fresh pineapple mango kale juice

with aj in boston and at home

philly from the art museum // my little snuggle bug

running // leaving aj at the airport (only one week left til summer break!)

flying // i saw les mis on broadway and it was ah-mazing.

when starbucks misspells your name // new reading glasses

coming and going on my boston trip last week!

some signs i created for easter at church // saw bullets over broadway during previews while waiting for aj's bus to get into nyc in march…it was a fun show!