Gold Stars & Pep Talks....

Top- Joppa

Jeans- AE

Shoes- Bass

Sunglasses-HM

Have you ever been so busy that you're not sure what to start first? It's like ADD on steroids sometimes... I read on Pinterest once "if a man wants to know what's going on in a woman's mind, just open up 250 tabs on your Internet browser and just bounce around all of them." Haha.. so true... Us ladies are are like the ultimate multi-taskers... Right now, my "real job" has entered it's busiest season... I'm also the wedding coordinator for a friend that is getting married on Saturday and 2 weekends ago my mom was in town... and it doesn't stop there! But I will... because any further it will sound a bit like whining... unless of course wine is involved, in which then I'm totally OK with that...

So now, here I am with this little conversation in my head... "I've got to get an outfit post up on the blog, it's been like ages and my readers are going to think I've disappeared .. How the heck can I squeeze in time for a little photo shoot?.. not to mention writing"... and then the little voice says, "other bloggers do this everyday... if you can't do this then I guess your not cut out to be a blogger..."  To which I say... total crap... I've got other words for that but my mom reads this and well.. ya know...

 Life happens, and I happen to be in one of the busiest times right now, so what? I'm a toughie... made out of more than just red hair and hazel eyes...  and I know that this is what I'm meant to do.. so little voice in my head.... you can go to hell... just sayin...that's my little pep talk...

I think it's really easy to look at others with the perception that they've somehow tapped into their superpowers and have endless amounts of energy and can always get everything done... Well, I'm not one of those people...  It's bare your soul Monday over here folks... To me, it creates all of these unrealistic expectations... Ahhh the pressure! 

It's a lot what we do, as bloggers, as women, as people... on a daily basis if we are not congratulating ourselves for the little accomplishments then I think we should all go back to 1st grade when everything is celebrated... Gold stars all around! .. Cue my Oprah impersonation... "you get a gold star and you get a gold star and you get a gold star!" As, for a style tip... take it easy on yourself... If your like me and fighting feeling overwhelmed don't add to it with unrealistic expectations... just be you... and slap on some lip gloss, curl your hair, pour yourself a drink... and breathe... then maybe watch a little YouTube... because nothing says "coping" like a cat falling into a bathtub...

Real Beauty...

I'm sure most of you by now has either heard of the video or even seen it... but I just watched it a couple of days ago... and wow how profound.... I think too many times we see ourselves to harshly or the words said to us as children ring in our hears..

I love this because it shows us, especially women to not judge ourselves too harshly or to start seeing ourselves in the light of all the wonderful things that make us to who we are....  Because if we only knew like deep inside how incredible we are.. we just might believe it!

Links à la Mode!!!

OMG...sorry/not sorry for my freak out moment... Seriously so honored to be featured in the weeks Links a la Mode! There are some wicked fabulous bloggers out there that I am just giddy to be included with them! IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) is an amazing resource for all fashion bloggers out there and I am just so thankful to apart of! So with out further adieu this is the roundup of their favorite 20 links this week! Enjoy!

World Click

Does it matter where you blog from? I say this as I've lived in four cities during my blogging career, and to tell the truth, it kind of does, but it also kind of doesn't. This week Style Bazaar asks that question to a few bloggers about their experiences with blogging and location. We also travel around to Australia to check out their MBFW, how Man Repeller got us thinking about Japan (again), about how female politicians across the globe relate to fashion (should they?) and where you can get globally conscious accessories. As always it's a mixed bag, so enjoy!

Links à la Mode: April 18th

1. Anna Lou Eliott: 3 ways to wear white: for day, night and work
2. Attire Club: What We Can Learn From Superheroes
3. Cosmolawitan: Dove: Empowering Women With Its Ad Campaigns
4. Dressed up on a cloudy day: How to Combine Colors : Analogous Colors
5. Fashion is Evolution: 4 Tips for Pushing Yourself to Achieve Your Creative Goals
6. Fashion Moriarty: Are female politicians reduced to what they wear?
7. Hey Mishka: 5 Globally Conscious Festive Accessories For Summer
8. HH Designs: Glamping: My Overall Lack of Roughing It...
9. Lara Lizard: Test : Are you the cutest creature of the social media?
10. Incognito: On how Man Repeller got me thinking about fashion in Japan
11. Modestelle: Mercedes Benz Australia Review 2013-2014
12. Mis Papelicos: My 6 Easy Steps to Happiness
13. Nothing to wear: The Rookie Department: Hair Styling For Beginners
14. Runway to Style: 7 Style Guidelines To Look Your Best at Prom and More
15. Style Bazaar: Blogging: How important is your location?
16. The Curatorial: Vale Jewelry: Algorithms and Delicate Jewelry
17. Undercover Dress Up: Interview with lolita icon Emilka P.
18. We Are Ready Made: Irreverent Youth
19. Wild Beauty World: War Paint
20. Youth Savage: Fashion Blogging vs. the World

  SPONSOR: Sale @ Shopbop: Timo Weiland, Rebel, Star Mela, Beth Richards, Hunter, Voltaire Zadig, Mugler, Ulla Johnson, Jill Stuart, Superga, & L'Wren Scott

Glamping: My Overall Lack of Roughing It...

Glamping by hchdesigns featuring maybelline mascara

"I'm what you call indoorsy" -Jim Gaffigan

So... my husband and I are going on a little camping trip with my sister and her husband to Yosemite National Park at the end of May... It's going to beautiful and I know and we will make memories... here's my problem... I kinda hate camping.... shhh... don't tell... I mean think about it, you spend hours setting up camp, to sleep on the ground to then cook your food in the pioneer way and then smell like campfire for the rest of the evening and then wake up at 5am because that's when the sun comes up... and that's if you slept because you had to pee in the middle of the night and you didn't want to leave your tent for fear of walking to the bathroom alone... And all that is if it doesn't rain... Sign me up!  I couldn't agree more with Jim Gaffigan's thoughts on camping...see here..
But being that I am a nice wife and I desperately do not want to be one of those women who is so high maintenance that I can't go on a little camping trip with my husband... So I'm putting my game face on and I'm determined to make it awesome!  Glamping.. (Glam-Camping) I've looked at a couple of sites that give tips and one thing is for sure.. it's all about making it fun... So.. Here are my list of "must haves" for my version of glamping...

1) Wine.. I can't stress this enough...
2) Games to play when your drinking the wine... Everything is better with wine..
3) Gourmet Food... No, to all hot dogs.. Yes, to soft cheese and bread... goes great with the wine...
4) Twinkle Lights & Lanterns...
5) Battery Powered Fan... Can't sleep without it...
6) Citronella Candle... Mosquito bites are not chic...
7) iPod/iPhone for an impromptu dance party at the camp site...

Then here are some practical items... because I refuse to be high maintenance... well kinda...

• Face wash & lotion to help feel fresh...
• Hand Sanitizer... not coming home with the flu...you can't make me...
• Makeup essentials, tinted moisturizer, mascara & lip gloss... will help you stay fresh...
• Baseball hat since the hairdryer is staying home... have to draw the line somewhere..
• Basic jewelry... We are not barbarians people!
• Sunnies! To help hide the bags under my eyes...
• Sea Spray... does wonders for hair that wants to throw a fit... 
• Yoga pants...perfect for hiking... or looking like I've been hiking..even better..
• Reef Flip Flops... best $30 I've ever spent...

You would think it was going to be for a week or something.. nope just 2 nights.. big eye roll... I'm amazed and quite frankly embarrassed at my lack of "roughing it" skills... It was much easier when I was 18... but that was 13 years ago and I've gotten accustomed to electricity and running water.. it's the little things in life.. 

Awesome & Awesomer : Epic skirt & 5 Inch heels....

Shoes- Jessica Simpson via Marshalls (same shoe here)

You know what's awesome?

Expecting a skirt to not be able to zip and miraculously it does...

Realizing that the skirt zipped but can you sit down? seriously questionable...

Doing a photo shoot with crazy wind... you expect it to look like model with a glamorous wind blown look but instead it looks like a dog who sticks its head out the car window...so hot..

Attending a wedding where everyone knows your husband but doesn't know you... annnddd.... I forgot deodorant (tmi?)...  I like to make a good impression..

Nearly avoiding a wardrobe malfunction involving the epic skirt and... that's all I'll say..

You know what's awesomer?

Holding my husband's hand during the ceremony and remembering our day... teary eyed..

Singing with my man to Mumford & Sons in the car... I can seriously rock out to some banjo..

Mimosas.. Getting your drink on before 5:00... Yes!

Being 5 inches taller... nuff said..

My husband's dance moves... epic... 

Ending the day with take out Chinese food and our favorite TV show... Can it get any more awesome?

PS.. if you want to see my #OOTD regarding this post see here...

Style is Who You Are...

Style is Who You Are... by hchdesigns featuring a chain bracelet

Stella McCartney / Miss Real trench coat, $61 / Coach es jacket / SELECTED short jacket, $99 / AG Adriano Goldschmied skinny leg jeans, $135 / Vintage shoes / H&M h m, $76 / Barneys New York clutch / MICHAEL Michael Kors roman numeral watch / Fantasy Jewelry Box yellow gold jewelry / Chain bracelet, $30 / Lipsy logo sunglasses, $23 / Ray-Ban logo sunglasses / Versace fragrance

I firmly believe that style is who you are... it's a reflection of your personality... and just a tiny glimpse into what makes you into the person you are... In figuring out what your personal style is it can be incredibly intimidating... so much pressure... I mean this is a reflection of who I am??? MUST GET IT RIGHT!!! augh... who can live that way? Not me... I've found my personal style has evolved over the years... Back in the day, I would die for a plaid flannel shirt wrapped around my waist or a pair of Doc Martins! Or my go to perfume was Sunflowers , remember when that was huge? Can we say Dawson's Creek? As my style evolved so did I... praise em! At one point I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher... Those who know me, know that I have the utmost respect for our teachers (they don't get paid enough in my opinion) but there is no amount of money that could coax me into that profession... Never did I ever think that writing and fashion would be in my lifelong goals! But here I am and  I'm so happy that I changed along with my style....

Right now my style is a mixture of classic, trendy with a bit of flair.. but the good news is if I want to change that, I can!! In the evolution of my personal style one thing has remained consistent, classic.. and I think that is true in life as well.. things will change and we will change with it... deciding that bronzer is a good idea and that maybe wearing too much eyeliner makes me look a little too Evanescence and not in a good way.. or not to hold on to past hurts but forgive and then let myself be the true awesomeness that I am... getting deep over here...

 In my personal style I gravitate towards versatility and adding pops of color in accessories and keeping everything else pretty neutral...  Adding a tangerine clutch to a LBD is just the pop of color that I like! All though a tangerine shift dress with a black clutch would be killer!!

My personal style can't and wont be defined into one category... simply because I'm always changing and I think that's a good thing... Even when I think," nope I wont be defined by one style category".. I find that there are constant things, like a LBD (little black dress) or leather jacket or a trench... these are items that will be with us forever... it's like the style compass that keeps us going in the right direction when all we want to do is just go neon everywhere..  And then in real life there are things that are a part of your heart and soul that keeps you going in the right direction no matter what.. So if your feeling a little like don't know how to define who you are? Just peek into your closet... I bet you'll see more and more of yourself in those gorgeous shoes then you ever did before!

Submission to IFB Project# 89