Lifestyle

1. Indie Lee Pillow Mist: I love spraying this mist on my pillows before I go to sleep.  With notes like soothing chamomile & patchouli, it’s my favorite ritual to help me wind down before bed! It makes a great gift for anyone who loves the relaxing benefits of aromatherapy.
2.  Lohn Candles: I absolutely love a brand story. Being inspired by the Amber Road, the founders of Lohn designed the packaging and fragrance to capture the scent of the Baltic sea. Two of my favorite scents that I can’t recommend enough are Erde and Feu.
3. Le Labo SANTAL 33: This has been one of my go-to scents for years. With notes of cardamom, iris, violet, and sandalwood – it smells super sensual and pretty. This is a unisex perfume and would make a great gift for someone who loves a bolder fragrance.
4. Kate Spade New York Earrings: The ‘Love Me Knot Stud‘ Earrings look like the dantiest little pretzels. They’re available in gold, rose gold, and silver.
5. Gantri Arco Table Lamp: Gantri is a digital manufacturing platform that helps designers around the world bring their creations to life. Each light is carefully executed with an innovative blend of sustainable materials. This lamp would make a perfect gift for any design lover!
6. Beam CBD:  The Beam CBD Oil and Salve make a wonderful wellness gift for anyone who is looking to improve their mental and/or physical wellbeing.
7. Avana Ashbury Bottle: The Avana Ashbury is an amazing every-day water bottle. With double-wall insulated stainless steel, the bottle can keep liquids cool for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours.
8. ALLSAINTS Scarf: This Merino Wool Scarf is super cozy and can be paired with just about every winter coat!
9. Society6 Print: With 1,000+ different prints to choose from, Society6 has countless gift options for those who are looking to enliven their space with a little bit of art.
10. Crystal Geode Cup: Katie Marks is the wildly talented creator behind SilverLining Ceramics. If you’re lucky enough to snag one of these, it would assuredly make a memorable gift. I’ve been trying to purchase one of her creations for a couple of years now — and have had no such luck as she sells out on Etsy sometimes in just mere minutes.
11. Seed Phytonutrients Scalp & Roots Oat Mask: This hair mask is the real deal — The oats are used as ‘cleansing grains’ that remove hard water minerals and pollutants from hair while also gently eliminating the scalp of excess oil buildup. It smells and feels amazing. It’s like bringing the spa directly to your own bathroom — and who wouldn’t love that?!
12. Truffle Clarity Jetset Cosmetics Case: This is a stylish cosmetics case that’s perfect for travel. With a see-through top and base, there’s no guessing what your makeup options are.
13. The Feed ‘Cultivate Kindess’ Tote: This tote spreads a message that will never go out of style — and with your purchase, 10 meals will go to feed children in need.
14. SkinnyDipped Almonds: These make for a great stocking-stuffer. With real ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors, and AMAZING taste – SkinnyDipped makes a great healthy on-the-go snack for any snack lover!
15. MiaDonna Accented Bezel Necklace: MiaDonna is a conflict-free diamond company that is mission-driven and creates some seriously stunning jewels. This piece is elegant and can be easily layered with other jewelry.
16. Raw Sugar Raw Coconut + Mango Body Wash: I’ve been a long-time fan of Raw Sugar. All of their products are cruelty-free, paraben-free, vegan, and chock full of clean ingredients. I love to gift my friends and family Raw Sugar goodies during the holidays – and you can’t go wrong with the delicious smelling Coconut + Mango Body Wash.
17. Andalou Naturals CannaCell Cleansing Foam: This botanically infused facewash is super nourishing and contains ingredients like CannaCell® hemp stem cells, organic hemp seed oil, and pure plant essential oils. It makes the perfect gift for any clean skincare lover!
18. Lane & Mae Merino Wool Throw Blanket: This blanket is not only cute, but it’s also super cozy. Pair this with any pair of slippers for a lounge-focused gift.
19. Away ‘The Carry-On’ Bag: This makes a fantastic gift for any Jetsetter. All of the Away suitcases come with an ejectable battery option so that you can charge your phone on-the-go!
20. Airbnb Gift Card: Does anyone really need a good reason to travel? Whether it’s a staycation or a villa across the country, Airbnb has a multitude of rental options. Pair it with the Away Carry-On for the ultimate travel duo gift.

I love to memorialize my travels and favorite moments through capturing photos – but there’s something about digitally storing those moments that isn’t quite as gratifying. Printed photos possess a different kind of tangible power. Mixbook offers a variety of ways to have a more interactive experience with your most treasured of moments.

I personally decided to create two Mixbook Photo Books: a Travel Memories book for myself that recapped all of my favorite travel highlights from 2017 and one called ‘Sweet Memories‘ as a Valentine’s Day gift for my boyfriend. 2017 was a huge year for me as I gave up my previous job and moved to Los Angeles to pursue not only blogging full time but I also took a huge leap & moved in with my boyfriend. Over the past year, my boyfriend and I have traveled to three different countries together and all over California.

It only seemed befitting to give him a gift that encompassed all of our favorite moments shared together. The final outcome: a physical piece of art filled with an array of beautiful textures, colors, and most importantly our remembrances. A lasting palpable gift that serves as a constant source of joy & recaptured moments. The Travel Memories book was a separate gift that I created for myself as a way to recollect my own personal, travel, and career accomplishments over the past year. USE CODE JULES50 FOR 50% OFF YOUR PHOTO BOOK! (expires 3/31) 

Mixbook also offers a multitude of other ways to memorialize your photos: calendars,  a variety of different photo print options (including canvas & metal), photo prints, and cards. 

Wolves are often depicted as formidable creatures throughout many references in movies, television programs, and even books.

The Wolf Connection is trying to create an entirely different association, however. One that equates to connection, positive curative action, and empowerment. They are trail-blazing an effort that not only changes the perception of these incredible animals but one that also helps at-risk youth in the process.

I recently visited the Wolf Connection facility in Acton, CA a few weeks back.

Upon arriving, we were introduced to the staff that would be leading the tour. Once the tour began, it became immediately apparent of how passionate the Wolf Connection staff was about these animals and creating programs that would have a long-lasting valuable impact. I learned that the chief reason so many of these wolves need to be rescued is because of a disturbingly large number of individuals who take them on as domestic pets. The issue with having a “high-content” pet such as a wolf hybrid, is that their behavioral tendencies tend to be unmanageable for the average pet-owner due to their wild nature that emerges. These animals are incredibly tribal. They thrive and find their most befitting role in their pack while creating a social hierarchal order.  Also, wolves possess an alluring wild nature that cannot necessarily be tamed, nor should it be.

The Wolf Connection rescues these animals from those who cannot provide ample care for them and even bleaker circumstances in which they would have assuredly been euthanized. Once rescued, they are brought to the Wolf Connection compound that possesses 165 beautiful acres: an abundance of space that they are far better suited for. All of the staff members are trained to not only properly administer wolf interactions but to also nurture their intrinsic qualities while facilitating their overall growth and confidence. During the tour of their facility, my eyes wandered from one enclosure to the next as I carefully observed and took in the many distinctive mannerisms of the different wolves.

Particularly, I noticed this one wolf Ayasha who was leading the pack in quite the howling demonstration. I later learned that it was her enclosure that we would be entering. Upon going in, I strategically positioned myself sideways & low and in the center of the open space as advised. As I sat there, and eagerly watched her approach — there wasn’t one ounce of fear that consumed me. Instead, I was flooded with emotions of gratitude and love.

There is an undeniable rooted connection that wolves & humans share – and in that moment, it became abundantly accessible to me. Her energy was endearing, graceful, and present. There was a sense of reciprocity that I’m not entirely sure I’ve shared with another animal before. I also had the pleasure of going on a hike with Beau, Luna, and Koda. They each their own wonderfully unique energy!

The Wolf Connection’s Wolf Therapy is a unique and innovative approach that provides a supportive environment to promote and foster self-esteem. It offers “the ability to regain trust and a hopeful future for those who had none. Wolf Connection contracts with many organizations to provide specially tailored Wolf Therapy services that have a significant impact on improving the quality of lives and provide them with powerful skills needed to achieve life goals.”

The programs are found to be incredibly effective – so much so that they have found that there is a staggering 70% decrease in repeat defenses and an overall 80% increase in high school graduation & college enrollment.

The overlapping qualities between wolves and humans are undisputable — making for a vigorous bond and connection.  They evoke a strong sense of wonderment in us humans– and The Wolf Connection is insistent about sharing this message with the outside world!

If you would like to learn more about how you can sponsor a wolf. CLICK HERE.

My name is Julianne. Julie to my many – and Jules to those closest!

I was first introduced to the idea of making a living off of a blog in 2012.  I was living in Milan, Italy at the time – working in PR and also blogging/photographing for an Online Italian publication called Fashion Times. It was an amazing time in my life. I had only just graduated college a mere few months prior to living in this strange and thrilling, new culture. I was attending fashion shows, photographing events, and immersing myself into this exciting industry.

There’s no doubt that this experience was the catalyst for my love of photography and Social Media.

In spite of these extraordinary opportunities I had experienced while living abroad, I was finding it exceptionally challenging to find inspiration upon moving back to the states. Comparably, my day-to-day was feeling a bit triter and lackluster.

As time passed, I continued to travel and photograph – but consciously placed the blogging aspect on the back burner. I can remember thinking at the time, “Social Media is thriving and soon blogging will be obsolete“.

Having a background in Marketing and a love for photography, I decided to hone in on and invest a great deal of my energy into Instagram. This decision had certainly proven to bring in a lot of amazing opportunities. As my Social Media presence grew, I found myself writing for a variety of different Startup companies.

It wasn’t difficult to recognize that I had developed a real passion for writing and sharing my experiences. Many of you have had a lot of questions, especially pertaining to travel – and I’m hoping that you’ll find this space especially advantageous when it comes to seeking out those answers from me!

SO… STAY TUNED. MUCH MORE TO COME!