Favorite Links

  • Favorite Links Week 4: Year 2025

    Favorite Links week - 4_WandaLopez

    happy February!

    I want 2025 to be a year of dreaming bigger than ever and getting things done (more than ever). 
     
    I haven’t shared this yet, but my word of the year is EVOLVE
     
    e·volve
    /əˈvôlv,əˈvälv/
     
    verb
    1. develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form.
     
    Small steps at a time will gradually take you to the destination you’ve set for yourself. 
     
    Where are you heading to? What are your goals? Comment here and let me know. Let’s hold each other accountable. 
     
    Grab a hot drink ☕️ and a treat 🥐and join me for my favorite links. 
     
    COLORS 🎨 – according to Vogue, magazine.
     
    This article covers colors that will be everywhere in interiors in 2025 according to Vogue magazine. Do you think these colors will impact your color palette for 2025? The work of designers you look up to? Maybe so.
     
    I can see these colors in my work for 2025. I love the pretty soft yellow and vibrant olive in this article. 😁
     
    ARTICLE 👩🏻‍💻 – 4 Ways To ‘Declutter’ Your Life For Mental Peace, by Forbes magazine.
     
    Here are the 4 ways:
     
    This article goes from decluttering your physical space to decluttering your digital space to decluttering your schedule, and finally to decluttering your relationships.  
    I have a group of friends that we get together bi-weekly and talk about life, about work, hold each other accountable, and most importantly are there for each other. 
     
    Last week during our call I mentioned how much I needed to declutter my “work” space and regroup my thoughts. After reading this article I realized I needed to declutter more than my “work” space. 
     
    Read this article and feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on it.
     
    Also, let me know if you all want to get on a Zoom and discuss this topic. I would love it!
     
    GOAL PLANNER 📘 – PowerSheets goal planner
     
    If you know me, you know I love a good planner. 
     
    PowerSheets help you set, plan, and track progress toward the goals that matter most to you—big or small.
     
    I’ve been using PowerSheets for years. This is where I put down my goals and break them into small actionable steps I can take weekly and monthly. It has a section for a quarterly review to track what worked, and what didn’t work. 
     
    They have a sale right now and on top of the sale you’ll get an additional 10% off with the link here!
     
    PAINTING BOTANICALS 🌺 – Painting Watercolor Botanicals: 34 Projects for Flowers, Foliage and More.
     
    One of my favorite subjects to paint are flowers. Food remains my favorite subject. But, there is something inspiring about flowers and nature. 
     
    In this book you’ll find over 30 beautiful watercolor botanical art projects, as well as information on materials and basic techniques.
     
    Tip: A perfect book to work on a 30-day challenge on any given month.
     
    Let me know in the comment section below if you have any requests, ideas, or questions I can cover next week.
     
    Until later my dear friend!

    This post includes affiliate links. I make a small commission off of items purchased from my links. Thank you!

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  • Favorite Links Week 3: Year 2025

    Favorite Links - week 3-Wanda Lopez
    (Photo taken by me while in New York City on a short weekend trip)

    MEDITATION 🧘🏻‍♀️ –  Let’s do this exercise together…

    Answer these questions with your eyes closed. What do you need to remember? What is your soul whispering to you? 
     
    Now, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take some time to remember what brings you joy.
     
    Remember what makes you smile. 
     
    Write it down. 
     
    Read it every morning and every night. 
     
    Life has its own way of derailing us into its own agenda, with its own noise. Take this time and ask yourself, What do you need to remember? What is your soul whispering to you? 
     
    You are brilliant, you are enough, you bring joy wherever you go…
     
    You have a story to tell, to share.
     
    You have gifts and talents to multiply.
     
    You are creative.
     
    You have everything you need to grow, be successful, have joy, spread joy, inspire, be inspired, to design a life of your dreams, and you are not alone! We are in this together. 
     
    Did you like this moment of meditation and self-love? I truly hope so. We all need to be reminded of where we are at, where we are going, and how to set healthy boundaries around us while we are on this journey called LIFE. 
     
    If you are new around here, this is my weekly roundup of favorite links, articles, podcasts, and more. I hope my favorite links teach you something new, inspire, and brightens your weekend.
     
    Keep your eye out each weekend for Things I Love (Favorite Links). Be the first to know about everything that’s happening here at the Studio through our newsletter. Make sure you sign up! 
     
    PS: The newsletter brings extra favorite links you won’t want to miss, so sign up on the link below if you haven’t already! 
     
    Let me share with you some of my favorite links for this week! Grab a hot drink ☕️ and a treat 🥐and join me for my favorite links. 

    As we go into this beautiful time of meditation and guidance I want to share with you a practice I have every year. 

    INTENTIONS FOR 2025 ✨the creation of a vision board

    In my vision board I add images and phrases that inspire me to dream big. Images of places I want to visit, areas of my life I want to work on, goals and dreams I want to accomplish, the community I want surrounding me, and the energy I want in my life. 

    Once I finish my vision board I download it to my computer and upload it as my screen.

    Every morning when I turn on my computer the first thing I see is my vision board. A reminder of the life I am dreaming and working for. 

    Here, grab my vision board template for FREE and have fun!

    ARTICLE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE 🧑🏽‍💻 – from Real Simple magazine

    According to this article from Real Simple magazine; there are 7 habits that are bringing you down. Do you agree with the list?
     
    It’s time to re-examine your habits and eliminate any that aren’t serving you. And by you, I mean us! I’ve been known to do #1 on a regular basis. 
     
    BOOK I AM READING AND COOKING WITH 🥣The Metabolism Plan by Lyn-Genet Recitas
     
    You know by now that I love to cook. But one thing you may not know is that I try to cook in a very conscious manner. Healthier meals, fresh ingredients, little to no processed food, and so on.
     
    During 2023 I went through a lot flying back and forth to be with my dad. My body took a toll.
     
    Little to no sleep, sometimes just one meal a day, drank almost no water, and worried every minute about him, my family back home, and work. (Well, everything)
     
    Last year I purchased this book, The Metabolism Plan. Read it all before starting any meal. Then went through the 3 day cleanse and OMG it was amazing! 
     
    Here is a tip, some recipes can be reduced to half. Feel free to email me if you have any questions and I’ll gladly go over them with you. 
     
    I do LOVE this book and love learning about my body. What triggers inflammation, weight gain, and which exercises my body likes and doesn’t like. YES, it’s all in this one book. 
    Let me know in the comment section below if you have any requests, ideas, or questions I can cover next week.
     
    And remember to join our PRIVATE Facebook community, a space created exclusively for YOU!

    Until later my dear friend!

    This post includes affiliate links. I make a small commission off of items purchased from my links. Thank you!

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  • Favorite Links Week 2: Year 2025

    Favorite Links - week two_Wanda_Lopez
    This post is coming to you from New York. Our first trip of the year. Where my family and I are spending a long weekend making memories and eating around the city. 
     
    It’s the first time we’re all together in the city at the same time. We have been here on different occasions, but never together. 
     
    Long weekends are my favorite. They are the perfect excuse for a quick trip or a quick road trip. What are your favorite short trips? Do you fly or enjoy a scenic road trip? 
     
    Let me share with you some of my favorite links for this week! Grab a hot drink ☕️ and a treat 🥐and join me for my favorite links. 
     
    One of my favorite cities is Paris. I honestly can’t wait to return. That’s why it’s not unusual to find myself being inspired by Parisian decor. 
     
    Here is an article from Architectural Digest taking us inside a stylish Stockholm apartment with a Parisian design flair. 
     
     
    The entire design is cozy, elegant, and cohesive. You will find inspiration in everything, from the color palettes to furniture to the wallpaper selection.  
     
     
    One of the items I gift myself every year is a planner. One where I can keep myself organized, accountable, and on track. I’ve changed planners throughout my life. Some brands have been on repeat and this planner is one of them. 
     
    This planner is beautiful. It’s a planner designed to schedule your day by the hour, and provides a To Do section on the side. Plus, it includes a Weekly Refresh section after each week. This section encourages you to dig deep into areas like Habits to Tend, Goals to Focus On, What’s Ahead, and What Matters Most This Week.
     
    BOOK TO READ THIS MONTH 📚  You Are A Bad Ass, by Jen Sincero
     
    I always have books on my nightstand to read while I unwind before bedtime. The books range a variety of topics from cookbooks (yes, I love reading cookbooks and dream of new recipes to try), to non-fiction, documentaries, educational, and motivational (like this one). 
     
    I have been reading this book for a while and I am loving it. It makes you stop and think. The kind of book that will have wanting to keep a notebook next to it and take notes of things that come to mind, or questions that you would want to answer. It’s a dig-deep kind of book and I’m loving it!
     
    Let me know if you get this book and what you think about it. 
     
    We can start a book club and enjoy some books throughout the year. Reply to this email if that is something you are interested in!
    mysweetzepol.com/biscoff-blossom-cookies

    BAKE 🍪 Biscoff Blossom Cookies, by My Sweet Zepol

    I want to share with you a sweet recipe that I’ve baked several times already.
     
    As many of you know, I started my creative career through blogging and my blog was a food blog. I created easy-to-follow recipes for the busy mom. Baked goods were my main focus, even though I also shared some savory recipes. 
     
    What can I say – I have a sweet tooth! 😁
     
    I also got in the Le Cordon Bleu as a Pastry Chef, when they were in Orlando, FL. Had my uniform and everything. Days before starting my car broke down, I had two little girls at a time and my husband was the only one working. Long story short, I decided it was not the right time.  
     
    That didn’t stop me from baking and sharing my love for pastries. I still bake. These past few years I’ve been baking gluten-free and dairy-free versions of my recipes. I can share them with you, if you like.
     
    Let me know if this is something you will enjoy!
     
    I love a good treat, especially during the afternoon with a warm cup of tea (or coffee). Let me take you to my other side of the web-world, where I share my love for food with easy recipes!
     
    Tip: These cookies freeze well – no pressure on baking all the batch at once. Bake what you want, freeze cookie dough shaped into balls, and bake as many as your heart desires at any given moment! 
     
    Let me know in the comment section below if you have any requests, ideas, or questions I can cover next week.
     
    Until later my dear friend!

    This post includes affiliate links. I make a small commission off of items purchased from my links. Thank you!

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  • Favorite Links Week 1: Year 2025

    favorite_links_week_1_year_2025_WandaLopez

    I hope you are having a great weekend!

    2025 is starting off great! 

    We are coming in hot with weekly content filled with seasonal things you are sure to love!

    Some of the things you’ll be reading about are:

    🎨Tips for style photography

    🎨 The book I’m reading

    🎨 The color palette that is inspiring us at the studio

    🎨 Decor that is finding its way to the studio or our home

    🎨 Plants growing in my garden

    🎨 Tools we are using to grow our business that can help you too! 

    Keep your eye out each weekend for Things I Love (Favorite Links). Be the first to know about everything that’s happening here at the Studio through our newsletter. Make sure you sign up!

    Grab a hot drink ☕️ and a treat 🥐and join me for my favorite links. 

    I have lots of art books and lots of cookbooks – which I love looking through and reading any time of the day or night. But, when it comes to unwinding before bedtime I lean to other topics to read. 

    Some are non-fiction, others are motivational.

    BOOK TO READ 📚 It’s Never Too Late, from Kathie Lee Gifford has me captured on every page. 

    She is a very talented and brilliant woman and her life’s journey is something you have to read about.
     
    As Kathie would say, “It’s never too late to unearth your hidden passions, rewrite your story, and live with a renewed purpose.” 
     
    Let me just say, you won’t regret reading this book! It’s so inspiring and will light a fire under your feet. I promise you that!
     
     
    For the past couple of weeks I’ve been listening to Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy podcast
     
    The episode I am linking here is the most recent one I listened to and it’s from her interview with Gabby Bernstein on her Change Your Life book tour. I’m loving the entire topic and can’t wait to grab the book!
     
    Listen to it and let me know in the comment section below what your thoughts are! 
     
    WEB DESIGN 🖥️  Get this website template – it’s the one I use and love!
     
    If you are a WordPress user and are looking to take your brand to the next level – you may need to start with a website refresh. A website design or re-design can get expensive very quickly. I have been using pre-made templates for years for all the sites I work with (mine and clients).
     
    This is my favorite brand. They are a husband and wife team and create the most beautiful feminine templates I’ve ever seen. 
     
    They are super affordable and their customer service is top-notch!
     
     
    One of the questions I hear the most is: Where do you gather inspiration from?
     
    Inspiration comes from many different places. Sometimes is a trip to the country, or a trip to the city, a visit to a museum, a garden, or something we saw on the runway from a fashion show. 
     
    This month I grabbed this botanical art book to find inspiration and I believe you will find just the right inspiration from it too!  
     
    Let me know in the comment section below if you have any requests, ideas, or questions I can cover next week.
     
    Until later my dear friend!

    This post includes affiliate links. I make a small commission off of items purchased from my links. Thank you!

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