A long time coming since I celebrated my actual 16-year blogging anniversary back in late April, but better late than never, especially after the month of mayheim, otherwise known as May. You guys submitted SO many questions and it was hard going through them all and selecting just 16 to answer here. But I wanted to keep it to 1 question for each year I’ve been authoring this blog, so let’s get right down to business.
I also wanted to say a BIG thank you to so many of you for the kind words about this space and I cannot believe how many of you have been here since the very beginning… means the absolute world to me and I hope this space continues to fill you up, just as it does me 😉
I always say to live without regret, but let’s face it… we all have those regrets. I definitely wish I hadn’t made some major hair mistakes = dark under layers and even coloring my hair super dark in my mid 20’s to undo some of the bleaching damage. Let’s just say in my personal opinion, blondes do have way more fun and I was never meant to be a brunette ;).
DON’T QUIT!!! Owning your own small business is one of the hardest careers you can choose for yourself, but goodness it pays off… not necessarily with the biggest financial gains, but the impact you can make to your local community and others around you = it’s immeasurable and the reward of starting something from scratch and deliver it to completion is 100% more fulfilling. I don’t know what my life would be like now had I not started writing this blog 16 years ago, but I’m so glad I’ve stuck with it. It’s definitely my passion and I hope that it shows how much I hope to offer help and creativity to your life even all these years later. Just know there will be good days and bad along the way = as with any career, but I am so thankful I kept at it and didn’t stop when people thought I was crazy calling myself a content creator.
In the spring of 2008, I hit publish on my very first blog post… oh going back into the archives of my blog at the time called “A Day in the Life” is quite humbling I assure you! Back then, there was zero monetization, no collaborations with brands = it was simply an online scrapbook of sorts where I could document things occupying my mind, what we were doing on the weekends here in Nashville, etc. It was certainly more of a life + style blog in those early days and then quickly pivoted to all things wedding, pregnancy and family soon thereafter.
Fast forward 16 years, my blog can now drive itself = haha. It’s followed me through my days of starting an e-commerce children’s shoppe to renovating our family home outside of Nashville, to new adventures in rental real estate down on 30a and of course all our fun trips + travels in between raising two daughters, now 12 and 11… it’s been a whirlwind, but I am grateful for this space and how it’s evolved with me, from a young 24-year old to me now = a 40-year old lover of all things colorful, bright, who is full of enthusiasm and fun!
It does make me grateful that I continue to write even now. It’s been a creative outlet for me throughout my adult years and it’s definitely fun to visit the archives to see how far I’ve come. And super humbling might I add.
The random questions always make me laugh… I’ve always been super open and if you know me personally, you know I don’t really have any secrets. You can visit this post for everything you may want to read about when it came to my personal decision to have breast augmentation. But long story short, I opted for 325CC Natrelle Inspira SRF (Smooth Responsive Full Projection) Silicone Implants per my doctor’s recommendation [Dr. Wendel who I’d absolutely recommend]. And no, I still don’t regret my decision even now… 7 years later. I just wish I had opted for the surgery sooner!
There is no way to pick just ONE bad trend I have followed suit on. I feel like I’ve always been one to experiment with fashion trends, but in a subtle way. I try to stay fairly timeless + classic, but two outfits that stand out to me as major fails were wearing overly floppy hats as well as ruffled leggings = those both get a hard PASS for me now… and yes, because the only proof is a picture, here are the not-so-fabulous fashion looks:
I would say the best trend I have followed is staying true to my love of color. Even when EVERYONE on social media was strictly sharing neutrals and basics, I never changed my love of print, fun and bold to suit what all the other influencers were doing. And that goes for fashion AND home! I was wanting to attract a community who loved color and wasn’t afraid to incorporate it into their everyday…
Ohhhh this one is easy to answer… hands down, the best investment I’ve made has been the original artwork we purchased for our home. I think it’s great in that it increases in value and it’s something we will have forever. I’ve been a longtime lover of so many incredible artist’s work and it’s fun to be able to showcase something so personal and meaningful to everyone who walks through our front door.
As for the worst investment I’ve made, I’d say the one that stands out the most to me is my Chanel bag. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but here me out! It was a purchase I had been looking to make for a very long time and I knew what I wanted when we went to the flagship store in Paris… the pale pink colorway with the duo colored hardware = it is absolutely stunning. However, I’m always apprehensive to wear it: 1] because of the light leather color and 2] because of the price. Sure, there have been massive price increases over the past few years so it’s actually worth more now than I paid for it, but I’m sentimental on that handbag… I guess I should be thankful I have girls to pass down my bags to! it’s wearable art, right??
Absolutely not!! It’s never too late to start something you’re passionate about… I would say it’s far more challenging to stand out now than it was say 10 years ago when the social media world wasn’t as large, but if you’ve got a unique vantage point or a niche segment that doesn’t get a lot of love, I’d highly recommend giving it a go. It definitely takes a lot of time, patience and consistency, but if you’ve got the drive to make it happen, you’ll find a way to connect with people.
My best advice would be to STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF and don’t be afraid of rejection. Find what sets you apart from everyone else and share that with your audience… I also say time and time again to be a credible + reputable source for what you share [whether that’s fashion, food, fitness routines, travel, home decor, etc] and you’ve got to take time to build your credibility = and keep it! A good rule I’ve always stuck to is to focus on 3-4 categories and fix your perspective on that… you train your followers on what they can expect to see from you.
And here I am, getting on my soapbox rant once again = for the love, if you’re going to leave your DMs and comments on and open for two-way communication, by all means please respond to people. It drives me bonkers when I hear from so many of you saying I’m one of a handful of influencers who ever respond to their friends + followers… it’s a relationship and you need to cultivate that!
I’m an optimist by nature so I try to focus on the positive… but alas, there will always be people who are wanting to see you fail. When I think of those who are jealous of other people’s successes, I have to remind myself that’s their issue to overcome not mine. There will always be nay-sayers, keyboard warriors and people who want to hurt your feelings, but move on and as I say: bless them and block them! Life is too short to try to please other people so let them live their live and YOU DO YOU.
A lot of trial + error. I’ve taken big chances throughout my 16-year social media career… some of those leaps have panned out and others have not gone so well. It’s all learning lessons and making sure you treat this as a business = and reminding yourself IT’S NOT PERSONAL.
I’d say I’ve had mostly great partnerships with the brands and individuals I’ve collaborated with and there have only been a handful where I’d say it was a failure, but yes it happens. The best thing you can do is use those situations as a lesson, figure out what you learned from that specific partnership and then push onward. I always say if a door doesn’t open, that door isn’t meant for me!
I’ve mentioned this many times before, but I truly feel like my job isn’t a job… it’s a passion project and something I truly enjoy day in and day out and so it’s easy for me to stay consistent. I also feel like my retail background and advertising/marketing business degree go hand-in-hand with this industry and helping me find the specifics of what I choose to share with my friends + followers.
For me, I love to start my day sharing with inspirational quotes and encouraging messages, then hop on in the mornings to discuss that day’s events/activities/work commitments/etc and then most days I am sharing sales, try-ons from some of my favorite brands, telling you what we’re cooking for dinner, and truly giving you random hodge podge of nonsense so you can enjoy a bit of show and tell throughout the day. It’s nothing fancy and/or groundbreaking by any means, but it’s my real life [the good, bad and ugly all included] and it’s fun to get to share all of it with you!
Having said that, just as with any business, I set down and write my goals for the year down in January of each year… I like to think of what brands I want to work with, what home projects I want to share on socials, what vacations + trips we want to go on and of course I make projections in terms of revenue and profit just like all entrepreneurs. Seeing it on paper and visualizing that helps me tremendously! P.S. a word of the year is always a must-do for me as well.
I would say I felt like I had succeeded when I was able to make enough money to help contribute to my family’s overall income earnings… I walked away from my corporate marketing career when I had Caroline and I had always worked = during high school on the weekends, throughout college and then went straight into a 40+ work week once I graduated. For me, I LOVE work! And to be able to do what I enjoy while helping our family was the ultimate reward. I know success looks very different for everyone, but that was what ultimately made me feel like I had accomplished something special!
I said it before and I’ll say it again… I like to live my life without regrets and that includes all facets of my days. I feel like the could’ve should’ve game can be a dangerous one to play and I’d rather not focus on the “what if’s” – if it is meant for you, it will come to you and I wholeheartedly believe that with all my soul. The ONLY regret I have is not studying abroad in college = may seem silly, but my parents highly encouraged it and I was so scared to miss out on football games, sorority events, etc… now looking back, it’s the single decision I wish I could take back and gain that worldly school experience!
Hands down our recap from our trip to Paris for Caroline’s 10th birthday! Packed full of memories, mementos and photographs I will treasure as long as I live from L’amour de Paris, it was a once in a lifetime trip with my children, introducing them to Europe for the very first time with Mimi and Pap in tow = truly magical and my favorite city in the world. Getting to share our family trips + adventures on the blog is always a favorite, but this one topped them all!
I’d say my least favorite thing would be the constant push push push of new content… aka churn + burn. It can be absolutely exhausting to create day after day and then I feel like my creativity takes a hit when I’m only worried about posting and not about the quality of the content behind it. Quality over quantity all day everyday, but I need to remind myself of that every now and then!
As for my favorite aspect of always being on socials, I’d say it’s keeping up with current trends, what’s going on in the world, knowing how to use the latest technology and of course finding new influencers to follow myself = so many good relationships have come from social media and for that I am thankful!
I used to never unplug and that my friends is why I felt the BURNOUT all the time… for me, vacation is a time to truly unwind and savor the efforts of our hard work day in and day out and now I’m super comfortable + confident and turning it off every now and then. Work hard, play harder is one of our family’s favorite mentalities and I know it’s important not only to tell my girls that, but to live by that motto as well. I don’t ever want to wake up one day and realize I lost out on the good stuff to post a link or share a picture on social media.
How grateful I am that so many of you have been here since the beginning… from the early wedding planning days to my life as a mom to tween daughters, I don’t take my presence on social media lightly and I am honored to see that thousands of you continue to show up and support me through it all. I feel like my life has evolved time and time again and it’s refreshing to see that you love me through the highs and the lows. Not everyday is great, but there is something great in each day and I will continue to be that source of happy inspiration = life is hard, but there is so much beautiful in the messiness of it all…
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