Call Me Naive

*inside joke*

Call me naive but I thought Flo Rida's Whistle song was just a fun feel good happy song- because you know whistling is fun and carefree. Forget the fact that I can't whistle, I still really like the song.

However, my 13 year old sister educated me what the song is really about.

Oh.

Thank You & Advice Needed

Can I just say thank you to my readers! And new followers! I have enjoyed your responses to some of my posts as of late. You are all too sweet and supportive and if you all aren't careful you are going to give this a girl a big head.

I wish all of you had your emails linked to your accounts so I can respond back to you via email- so if' you haven't gotten a reply back from it's because your email isn't attached to your comment.  So get on fixing that k?

I always thought once I got to 82 GFC followers I would host a giveaway- and I am getting real close to that number. I know most people do the 100 follower giveaway but I'm kind of different and besides 82 is my favorite number.

The thing is I have no idea how to host a giveaway. I know what I want to giveaway so that isn't the issue... it's the whole logistics of it all that I am unsure of.  So that is where you guys come in... what's the best way to host a giveaway?

Playing Favorites

Pants: H&M; Shirt: Clevotine America; Shoes: Zara; Bag: Miche (Stella)

Leather is work appropriate right? Good, because I thought so too.

This outfit consists of my favorite tee, my favorite shoes, and my first pair of leather skinnies that I am simply obsessed with!

You know when an outfit just feels like you? Well this is one of those outfits for me. I felt comfortable, sexy, casual, edgy, and chic all at the same time.  I need to work on incorporating more of this "feeling" in my wardrobe more often.

What type of outfits make you feel like you?

Growing

 

I struggle with the idea of growing this blog.  Don't get me wrong I want followers, I want lots of followers but at the same time that scares the crap out of me. The responsibility and pressure of that is kind of terrifying.  But at the end of the day blogging takes time and effort. I put a lot of work into this blog of mine and I want it to be shared.

In the ideal world I would want this blog to grow simply by word-of-mouth and not by me paying for ad space or joining hundreds of link-ups- although I know that is typically how it is done. And really with everyone and their grandmothers having a blog these days how else to do you get the word out about your little space in the blogosphere?

Sometimes I come across blogs that have thousands of followers and I honestly just don't get it- their content kind of sucks in my not so-very-humble opinion, so naturally I think my blog is better- yet it's teeny tiny. Probably to my own fault.  It's not that I don't want to put the work into getting more followers- it's that- I guess I doubt myself. I worry that once I get a big following everyone will realize I am just a fake. Jenni at Story of My Life said it perfectly in this post here. We often get in the way of our own goals.

And I do have goals for this blog- I have ulterior motives. I want to utilize this blog as a tool for my career goals in the fashion industry. I want to help promote the company I work for. I want to build friendships and make connections. I want to be important in the Utah fashion industry. I want to open the door to more opportunities.

And I want this blog to help me do that.

Like many of you- since it's nearly impossible to avoid- have read all the blogger rules and tips on how to grow your blog and for me I don't want to create a Facebook page or a Twitter account for my blog.  I really don't need another thing to manage and take me away from my life beyond the computer screen or more accurately my iPhone screen.  Once upon a time I did have a Facebook and Twitter account for this here blog and I deleted them this past Spring in my effort to "disconnect" and declutter my online life.

Many successful bloggers have written posts on how hard it is for them to find a balance between their blog life and their real life and I want to start the growth of this blog with that balance in place from the beginning. I understand that those tools help connect and build relationships with our readers and other bloggers but I am not willing to sacrifice even more time to social media. If you want to connect- email me.

These are just some thoughts that are swirling around in my head. Some thoughts are unfinished and still materializing but I needed to get them out.

Can anyone relate? Have advice? Feedback? I would love to hear about your own challenges, doubts, thoughts, solutions? Whatever you got- connect with me.

And please go ahead and tell me if my content sucks. Honest feedback is always encouraged over here in these parts.

Thanks for listening- eh reading...

Oxblood is fancy for burgundy

Dress & Jacket: H&M; Shoes?; Bag: Miche (Madison Demi)

Wow its been so long since I have participated in a Blogger's Do It Better challenge. Feels good to get back into it. 

I always think it's funny when the fashion industry tries to make things sound cooler then what the really are. Take an old denim button up for example, call it Chambray and viola it automatically makes it fashionable.  Call burgundy, oxblood and it takes it to a whole new level.

I however, feel more comfortable calling burgundy, well- burgundy.  

Burgundy jeans are at the tip top of my wish list and I was a little bummed I didn't have any for this challenge.  All that I had in this color are these tights that I wore here and the dress you see above. 

With the burgundy and navy combo I am feeling a lot like this chick today:

I even got the frizzed out wavy hair going on.  All that is missing is my wand.

Run the Rave

Can I just say I had so much fun dressing like a teenager. I think I may have found my true style sense in these hot pink leggings and holy t-shirt. It's kinda of like being who you really are instead of trying to be who you want to be.  And let's just be honest although I will be 28 years old next month- inside I am still that 18 year old girl that lived for the night scene and crowd surfing...

Which is why I was very excited to attend this 5k event called Run the Rave. The glow sticks make a lot more sense now huh? I wish I could tell you this event was awesome but sadly it was a huge disappointment. Probably couldn't tell that from the pictures... looks can be deceiving which is why we all love pictures. At least it looked like we had a good time and really the funnest part was getting all dressed up and taking these pictures. The rest of the event was just an excuse to do so.

I could go into why it was lame but I won't.  What I will say is that we were promised lots of glow-in-the-dark body paint and good music. What we got was house paint.. wtf... and a really crappy DJ. I was home by 11. Sad.

Tomorrow however, we have this going on and that never disappoints! Can't wait to share those pictures with you... our costumes this year are pretty awesome.

Work stuff: Buy this bag

Dress: H&M; Shoes: Deb; Bag: Miche (Eve Shell)

K... this is how it is. You have to go buy this bag. And it's not because I work for this company but because the woman this bag is named after is pretty dang cool and is doing something pretty dang cool with her commission off of this bag.

The handbag company that I work for is a little different, we are a home party business- like Stella and Dot.  Oh and have I mentioned that all of our bags are interchangeable?  We have Representatives that host parties and make money off of the bags they sell. A home party business is so different from retail. In some ways bad different but in some ways really good. One of those really good things is that this industry is really built on relationships and that is a really cool thing.

Back in February at one of our conferences I got to meet one of our Representatives, Eve.  Eve wanted a bag named after her- all of our bags are named after someone- and they all for the most part have pretty cool stories behind them.  I told Eve that with her name being Eve we could probably name one of our Holiday bags after her- she didn't really like this idea and I couldn't really blame her.  Her style is definitely not a bag with snowflakes all over it- not that there is anything wrong with that. 

Some time passed and when it came to naming our fall line, the bag pictured above, immediately brought to mind Eve. She has this beautiful thick black curly hair that reminded me of the weaved center pattern.

Fast forward to our conference in July, we debut our fall line. Eve, the awesome Representative that she is is in attendance and she loves her bag! Which makes me sooo happy. It's kind of scary when you name a bag after someone- you worry if they will like it or not. 

Not too long after our July conference I got this email from Eve:

Hello, I hope this email fines you well! I want to say THANK YOU for personally pulling for me to get the beautiful new Demi shell to be named Eve! I feel so honored and excited!  I wanted to do something special with this shell as a way to say “thank you”. So I have decided to take my commission on all Eve Shells and donate to a charity. I have chosen a foundation that helps family’s adopt. Adoption is so near and dear to my heart as I am adopted. I recently have met some incredible women that have shared their stories of adoption which have touch my heart in ways words cannot describe!  Something as simple as a  designer handbag can bring so much more than I could have ever imagined. Meeting incredible women and hearing their stories is such a blessing!

Seriously, how cool is she? This is just one example of why I love not only my job but the company I work for so much. I am constantly surrounded by inspiring and motivating people. We are so much more then a fashion handbag company and I am very proud of that. 

So if you'd like to help Eve out and get yourself the ever so fashionable Eve Shell you can do so here... and if you live in the Indianapolis area and want to host a party make sure to hit Eve up!

Sorry to sling my companies product at you all- but this time it's for a good cause. Hope you don't mind.

Real Estate

Shirt: H&M; Shorts: H&M; Bag: Miche

The hubs and I are ready to ditch apartment life and find ourselves a home. Problem is... I have expensive tastes.  I operate on two extremes. I either want a steal of deal that is the cheapest that we can find that I can fix up myself and on the opposite end I want something that is already done they way I want it but is at the very tip top or our budget and slightly overflowing into the "well we could live on Ramen noodles for the rest of our lives but at least our house would be awesome" scenario. I for one like me some Ramen noodles- the husband on the other hand, not so much.

And I just really need to be honest with myself, as much as a remodel sounds fun, I know myself better then that and it would never happen. I am not a DIY'er.  I'm kind of lazy. And projects take work. 

So let the house hunting begin!

Sisters and my little stud muffin of a nephew

For the LOVE of pants!

Shirt: F21; Pants: Zara; Shoes: Charollette Russe; Bag: Miche

Purchasing clothes online is always a little terrifying for me. I usually go with safe things like shirts or dresses and never pants! Those must be tried on.  But I found Zara and their pants fit as if they were made for my little tush so when I saw these beauties online (no Zara in the UT) it was love at first click!   Zara's free shipping doesn't hurt either. My favorite detail on these pants are the double side seams. It's those little details that get me every time. I also like the Asian influence on these they make them a little different then all the other floral pants out there on the scene right now.

I had been on the hunt for some floral pants for some time- I was desperate to be the first to showoff this trend in my office because honestly once someones else does it- I don't feel like I can do it anymore. Kind of like those famous bauble necklaces, or those geometric printed H&M pants that all the bloggers have been wearing the last few weeks.

What do you think about the floral pant trend?

I had worn these once before but I didn't like how the pictures turned out- which I was okay with since it gave me another chance to style them.

How?

How could  I not know that one of the biggest blogging and design conferences is held right in my back yard? Like for real. I thought I was in the know for like knowing stuff! This is very disappointing. And even more disappointing is that this event is already sold out! Maybe someone out there is selling a ticket? Or maybe would just like to give me one? Yeah? I girl can dream, right?

Although my blog is tiny, microscopic even and I would feel like a complete phony attending the Alt Design Summit I know it would be a great inspiration to get my butt in gear and grow this little thing of mine.

However, now that I know this awesome thing exists I will make sure not to miss next years. In the meantime though Alt's website is pretty sweet all in it self.  For blogging inspiration and business advice check the new Alt blog. They will be providing classes and tips on their blog so that you can get a taste of what all the action is like at the conference- and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your computer screen.

While stalking their blog I came across a post about "Building An Online Community" which not only touches on how to grow your blog but how important building a community is. Go check it out!

It's a Paw-tay!

It's this little guys Birthday today.  

He has been my constant companion the last 6 years.

He knows too much. Like the really embarrassing stuff.

He puts up with my singing. 

I think I am going to spoil him a little extra today.

Happy Birthday Boo.

Bring on the bad hair days

While going through some old files I came across this piece below that I had written a couple of years ago. I remember this day well and it's funny how easily we fall into such contentedness in our lives and start to take things for granted. Since writing this nothing major has changed in my life, I still have all those good things that I wrote about plus more- yet I don't feel what I felt on this day. I need find this happiness again- I need to be this girl again. I need to be grateful again. 

Are you ever so happy and content with life that you feel it’s just too good to be true? And your just waiting for some bad news or for something to go wrong because really how could you be so lucky? Well, that is where I am.  In fact I was thinking this exact same thing when I got pulled over for speeding, something I am notorious for, and the officer says to me “ I have never seen someone so happy to be getting a ticket.”  

And the thing is I was happy to get that speeding ticket because in that moment I was feeling almost scared. Scared because who is this happy? I don’t know anyone this happy? Life is not supposed to be this good, this perfect, and it made me start to worry that something bad was going to be happen because after all there needs to be balance and fairness in the world, right? So when I saw those flashing red and blue lights behind me I smiled because life is not perfect and my worries went away and now when there is a little blip in my day like a speeding ticket, a bad hair day, a flat tire, or whatever it may be I smile in those moments because in a way I almost feel like it’s a reminder to appreciate all that is good in my life and also in a funny way I almost feel like I deserve it since I am so lucky to be so happy in all the parts of my life that make the biggest impact.  My husband. My family. My health. My career.

I am so grateful.  Grateful to have experienced hardships, grateful to have had many unhappy unfulfilled jobs, Grateful to have had people share their stories and sorrows with me. If it had not been for those experiences I would not know this kind of happiness and for that I am truly grateful.

Fast Moving Train

on location for our winter catalog shoot

July and August I was on a roll with this whole blogging thing! Then we slipped into September... and not so much.

Can I just say it's been an insane couple of weeks. Being sick, feeling sorta better, getting sick again (it's been a roller coaster) , preparing for our winter photo shoot, going on a little vacation- while sick = no bueno, doing the photo shoot- I alone styled 74 shots! 74 people! Over 3 days- all while pretty much being incredibly sick (sorry all that came in contact with me), house hunting, and a gazillion other obligations on top of it all has me begging for some down time.

Things however, will not be slowing down anytime soon.

If you need me, I will be under my desk in the fetal position.

Work Stuff: Behind the Scenes

I get to be a part of a lot of fun stuff at work. Planning photo shoots is one of them.  It's fun but also an insane amount of pressure- especially when everyone is telling you that the styling/wardrobe is going to make or break the shoot and you are responsible for all of that. Yep- no pressure at all.

Add in the pressure of launching a new line- a higher end line- well let's just say that makes for a lot of sleepless nights.

But when you when you mix an insane amount of pressure with an insane amount of passion. It usually ends up being a good thing.

I have been so excited about this new line, which we call LUXE to be launched. It something that we have been wanting to do forever.  It was so fun to design and really fun to follow it through with the photo shoot.

Line launched on the 1st! So excited to see how it does.

I designed the grey ones btw!

1 or 2

I am going to a fancy shmancy fashion event this Saturday in a garden and I can't decide which I dress I should wear.

Do you have a vote?

Special Monday

This will only take one sentence.

Accidentally sending a "naughty" picture of yourself to your father.

And please spare me the Freudian comments on how "they are no such things as accidents and what not".