Miss Maryland USA 2011 - Allyn Rose

Meet yet another inspirational woman, Miss Maryland USA 2011 and Miss DC 2012 - Allyn Rose. Back in 2011, we read about how she lost her mother to breast cancer. Now, Allyn is making waves again about undergoing a preventative double mastectomy after learning she is a carrier of the same rare chromosomal disease her mother had.

Read more here.

Allyn is a graduate of La Plata High School where she played volleyball, and a competitive national roller figure skater. She graduated with a degree in Government and Politics from University of Maryland, College Park.

Allyn lost her mother to breast cancer at age 16, and since then has been an advocate for the disease. She also went on to become Miss Sinergy, a breast cancer philanthropy pageant. In 2010, she was crowned Miss Maryland USA 2011 and was placed in the top 8 at the national pageant.

Allyn is  now a paralegal in two law firms in Maryland. In June 2012, Allyn became Miss District of Columbia 2012 and will be competing for the Miss America 2013 title. She has stated that she will be undergoing a double mastectomy after that.

Best of luck to Allyn - for the crown and surgery. Until then, more pics.

 

Source - Miss Maryland USA, Miss USA, Allyn Rose's Facebook, Pageant Update

Wedding photoshoot ideas

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been planning my wedding ever since I knew it'll involve wearing a gorgeous white gown. And then I discovered Pinterest and I have since been indulging in planning what my own wedding will look like one day. Let's start with photoshoots.

I have seen a lot of photoshoot ideas from friends' Facebooks - and no offense, but the photos are all the typical wedding shots. Doesn't matter if they're at a studio (most common), a landmark, a place of interest or at a beach, they're all posing and sitting/standing stiffly and the photos doesn't do justice to the real them. It's more of like the photographer telling them what to do because they are the pros, not the bride and groom.

I envision my shots to be more relax and doing the normal things that we like. I do not mind posing myself, but the poses should be believable. Oh, and it better stand out from our peers.

Sometimes I rather have my own DSLR (or any cameras that takes beautiful photos) and have a friend snap them or have a professional photographer buddy who I can interact with better and let them know what poses I want.

After all, it's my wedding!

Pinterest

I see this photo above more of like taking a stroll with your loved one. It shows the real you doing real things in a real location. Time to find a park.

Accidental Vix

And since you're at a park, find a bench and do something you love. I picture myself playing with my phone and my man with his PSP. Or one could be texting and the other could be talking on the phone. Different, no?

Wedding Dress Art

If you want to go to beach, take photos of both of you having fun at the beach. Run along. Stroll. Lie down while soaking up the sun. If you want to get wet, take a dip in the ocean.

My Wedding Bag

Or do the jump, with your partner, your bridesmaids and the groomsmen. I don't see a lot of my peers doing it, let alone Malaysians. But I could be wrong.

Rustic Wedding Chic

If only I could find a farm that looks like Midwestern America. Or I should just go to a horse farm on the outskirts of my town. See what I said about posing? Not overdone, you can feel the spark and chemistry between the two.

Monoxious

If you want to pose, do it differently. If you want to look like a model, do it differently. Think outside the box. Good excuse to flip through magazines.

Wedding By Color

Since seeing pics of brides posing with sport shoes, I wonder if it's okay to walk down the aisle in my Nike shoes. Unorthodox I know, but it's just so adorable.

I'm sure there are more different kinds of wedding shoots out there. But remember, dare to be different. In 20 years time, you'll look back and think, wow, that is different and had so much fun doing it.

Fall decor

It's already fall! We don't have the four seasons here unfortunately, but Thanksgiving is usually associated with fall, so let's feast our eyes on some really gorgeous fall decoration.

Sweet Something Designs

We know it's fall season when leaves change colors to orange, brown and red. Since we can hardly get those colored leaves here, decorate using candles, fresh flowers and pine cones that are of the usual fall colors. Not everything has to be orange, brown and red though. Remember - subtle does it all.

Midwest Living

But if you still want autumn leaves, make them! It'll be a fun project to do with your kids. Have them draw different types of autumn leaves (Google them) on colored papers, then display them on walls and tables.

Ties 2 The Past

Okay, here's one thing we can definitely get in Malaysia - burlap or gunny sack. Like the gunny sack race for kids in school. Cut them into shapes and simply pin a decor you got at a store or a DIY one on the sack. Or use a marker to draw out an alphabet on each sack (e.g.: Give Thanks) and display it on your wall or curtain rail.

Tiny White Daisies

Buy mason jars (I've seen some at Cold Storage) and put candles in it with various fall decor you've seen around shopping centers, like dried leaves and flowers and pine cones. Or just tie and brown, orange and red ribbons around the jar.

Pinterest

I have also seen fake tree branches at supermarkets that are used for decoration purposes. You can also use them as table centerpieces or place them in a vase at the corner of your living room. Add some Christmas lights on it, scatter some of your DIY paper leaves around it and if you have pumpkins (toy or real), great!

Martha Stewart

If you have a lot of time on your hand, try this DIY leaf pillow. You can find the instructions here. On the plus side, you can also try it with different designs, depending on your tastes.

To become a better person

Miss Georgia Teen USA 2009 - Brooke Fletcher

Most of the time, I'm partial towards Georgian beauty queens simply because the alter-ego I created 12 years ago lives in Atlanta, but also because you can't deny the winners from Georgia are, well, beautiful people inside and out.

Here's one - Brooke Fletcher from the 2009 class, and 1st runner up to Stormi Henley in the national pageant. She graduated from Starr's Mill High School in 2010 and left for Auburn University in Alabama, majoring in Business Marketing and minoring in Spanish.

Brooke is an Entertainment Director for Eagle Eye Television, a news network run by students at Auburn University. You can check out her works here. To further fulfill her passion for broadcasting, she had the opportunity to intern at WGN-TV in Chicago one summer.

This is Brooke's sister, Brittany who is a fellow Auburn University alumni and currently lives in Chicago. She was 4th runner up at Miss Illinois USA 2011 and if you don't know already, a contestant in The Amazing Race 21. Her partner is best friend, Caitlin.

Source - Pageant Interviews, Clay Spann, Pageant Update, Miss Illinois USA

Spring cleaning

I love pinning home decor photos on Pinterest and see how one organizes their work space. And since I have a week off of work, I got myself into work mode to spring clean my room and bathroom. I'm not a hoarder, but I do have a lot of unnecessary clutter that I really need to either donate to charities, or ditch them.

Source - The Glitter Guide

If you have a lot photo frames around (I have 7 of them on my bookshelf!), you could either - 
1. find wrapping paper in my storeroom
2. download pretty pictures off the Internet
3. frame up your doodles, or any words of encouragement you've drawn
4. cut gorgeous photos of scenery or your role models off magazines (I have a Victoria's Secret mag, but I don't think I'll want to ruin it at the moment :)

Source - The Glitter Guide

It has never crossed my mind that photo frames can be displayed on bookshelves too. If you do not have enough room on your desk, this is another option.

Source - The Glitter Guide

Avoid cluttering your desk! It should have the essentials only - like your computer/laptop, one or two decorations, your table/study lamp, a few books and your stationery.

The main point is to keep everything tidy, and here are some pointers for you (and me!)

1. You don't have to throw everything out because it could come in handy - like the photo frames! 

2. Donate items like clothes that don't fit you anymore, or re-use it. Here, we re-use old towels to wipe tables, clean items, dry our dog etc

3. Throw out items that you (and no one else) can use anymore. Avoid clutter!

Fall

Fall's here (not in Malaysia unfortunately), but obtaining just a few simple items will make it feel like autumn. It's just something about the season that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We've seen countless photos of leaves changing colors, we know that it's slightly chillier and it's time to head indoors and chill after those summer vacations.

1. Yankee candle diffuser

2. Autumn wreath

3. Candles

4. Merona water repellent trench coat