Tips and Tricks – itsbrittanyporter

June 8, 2017

Inspiration | How to Want Less

With a world heavily focused on social media, it can leave you wanting MORE. Like, all the time. Like, even when you get that something, it doesn’t satisfy. I’ve been challenged in two ways recently.

Tell your finances what to do instead of them telling YOU what to do. No matter what your income, you still won’t have enough. It is a bottomless pit and a way to suck margin right out of your life if you don’t create a budget. I’ve realized that I’ll find SOMETHING to buy at target, online shopping, or at the grocery store that I didn’t set out to get.. but because I had a little extra sitting in my account, I bought it. And at the end of the month, I was still finding myself strapped, because I didn’t budget. Even WITH more work, even WITH a raise, even WITH extra income.. you will never have enough until you learn to budget and live within your means. Also, tithe comes first. God can do more with my money than I can.
“If you feel like you never HAVE enough, it’s because you don’t believe you ARE enough.” Pastor Steven said this a few weeks ago and it resonated with me so much. But I couldn’t help wonder how I would even go about believing I am enough. This sermon by Perry Noble really was a great follow-up to that question. Hope you have time to watch it, but if not, here are the main points:
- In Christ, I am COMPLETELY FORGIVEN. Romans 8:1 There is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ.
- In Christ, I am VALUABLE. I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I was created on purpose. I was custom designed by God. The value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay.. the son of God died for me.
- In Christ, I am UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED. God accepts us in our mess. He loves us because we are His children made in his image- not because of our PERFORMANCE but because of our POSITION. Every person that is in the Bible needed God’s forgiveness.

I am going to put these on sticky notes on my mirror as my affirmation for the day.

Here’s the full sermon: Getting Past Your Past.

April 18, 2017

5 Tips to Healthier Eating

Instagram– Follow people that inspire healthy eating… I follow a bunch but here are a few faves: @minimalistbaker , @thebigmansworld , @LindsayKingdon , @edgarraw and @inspiralized
Pinterest- I am constantly referring to my FOOD pinterest board for meal ideas, planning, and grocery lists.
Restaurants– I love scouting out new places and re-creating things i’ve ordered off their menu at home. Most places have their menus posted online. They don’t have ratios or recipes, but ingredients are so helpful to try new pairings and omit things I don’t really like. Some places I’m searching right now are: The Hive, Flower Child, and Sweet Greens that I visit in Santa Monica. And Lunas, here in charlotte.
The Right Cookbooks- I don’t always go by cookbooks– i mean, who has time? But when I do, I love 100 Days Real Food and Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind for sweets (and making that maple sugar I posted on Instagram). Barnes and Noble has a plethora to thumb through (right next to the legos- score!). I love simple ingredients and eating clean.
Weekly Grocery List – I recently started a weekly grocery list (still a work in progress) that allows me to make multiple meals, while also restocking my most used items. I know that every week, I need these things.. and then ~~i’ll make another trip~~ I’ll send my husband to get items to make a more defined meal or things that last longer and have just run out (like balsamic vinegar, olive oil, etc). I cannot shop for the whole week in 1 trip. My produce either goes bad or uneaten depending on what our tastebuds are craving. With this list, you can print it off or put it in your Reminders Section on your phone and share it with your husband 😉 to keep on hand and mark things as purchased.

March 30, 2017

5 Tips for Better Instagram Photos

LIGHT- Lighting is everything. No matter what filter you add, you can’t change where the light is positioned. First, Find natural light (windows, outside, etc). If you are inside, turn off the overhead lights and try to move your subject (food, kids, dog, clothes, etc) to the window light. If you are outside in broad daylight (meaning mid-day-ish), find shade. Try not to take a photo with a light right overhead- it casts crazy shadows and is totally unflattering. Aim for light behind, light beside, or shade. Tap the subject to get the right exposure/ light on your subject.
BACKGROUND– Decluttered/ Clean backgrounds. I like to find solid walls, a similar pattern like a bush or flowering tree, or even the garage/ side of my house.
CROP-If you can’t find a plain background or if the back ground has too much going on.. zoom in. Don’t be afraid to crop and not get the whole picture. Sometimes the details are more meaningful and you can only see them if you crop out the rest.
COLOR- if your subject’s outfit does not compliment the photo, but you still LOVE what you’ve captured, convert it to black and white / add a BW filter. This does not correct for lighting, BUT it can correct color.
EDITING/ FILTERS– Download VSCO in the app store if you haven’t already. This is my favorite app for editing photos. This takes it to a whole other level than using instagram filters. You can apply a preset/ filter and then there are so many tools within vsco to adjust that affect on your image. My favorites are brightening, temperature, and exposure. If you want to cool off your image (decrease the yellows/oranges/reds in the photo) slide that thermometer to the left. If your image is too dark, you can kick up the exposure to the right to help. If your image is too bright, you can slide it left. This can help when your whites are too bright. Play around and create your own! You can copy and paste your edits to make all your images uniform.
My VSCO library.. not everything I edit is posted on IG

Editing Options / Light Behind

Filter Choices/ Light in Front