The Perfect Summer Dress

This is my new Summer "go to" dress. With the warmer days heading our way, so is the list of events that we will attend. Finding a great versatile dress that I can rock at a Summer wedding or a dinner party makes the "what to wear" process so much easier. It's breezy, comfortable and can be dressed up or down depending on the shoe pairing. 

I found this beauty at Bohme at the Boise Towne Square Mall and it was a screaming great price. Under $50!! The lace detail gives this dress a luxe look and the contrast collar adds a polish detail. I've already worn this dress a few times and have gotten lots of love when wearing it. You can find similar styles at Francesca's as well. Have a great Summer peeps and I'll be dishing out more Summer style goodness that's pocketbook friendly :) 

It's always a pleasure to stay at the cool and inviting The Society Hotel.

A blissful visit in Portland. All photos taken by the amazing Stephanie of Stephanie Mballo Photography

5 Things That Fuels My Happy

I've tried to generate blog post that I can pre-plan and it never works. I am one of those people that has to be in the moment. I get the chance to speak with you from a space that I know is genuine and not just for the sake of typing a few words. The last few months have been busy and full of style loving mayhem and I've been asked how do I keep my light, happy go get it self charged.  For me, I've realized how important it is to FIND MY DOSE OF HAPPY IN EVERY LITTLE NOOK AND CRANNY THAT I ENCOUNTER. Don't get me wrong, life gets real, ugh...so real at times and you feel out of sorts but babes I tell you, when you look at things from the standpoint of what I am grateful for in this moment. Holy chipotle, it's a game changer. 

Early morning bare faced and soul at The Society Hotel in Portland

Launching my own personal styling business came from a place of fear, desperate love of all things fashionable but most of all, having the opportunity to meet and style some of the most incredible humans. What that means to me is I AM THANKFUL FOR EVERY PERSON THAT COMES INTO MY LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT. I know it seems crazy because you're probably saying that there has been a few bad eggs that you wished you never encountered. What I take from that is a lesson. No matter the circumstance, you are going to be taught something, will give something and it is not a worthless moment. 

PERFECTION ISN'T REAL BUT EFFORT IS. The comparison game can leave you feeling defeated. What I've learned and continue to learn is the more I focus on how can I be helpful today instead of who can help me today, the better I feel. My efforts to try, always isn't about how perfect I can make things but more about, am I doing all that I can right now. It grants me the permission to make mistakes, learn from them and simply try again and again. 

FIND YOUR GOOD EGGS AND LOVE ON THEM HARD! I've had the opportunity to have so many people come in and out of my life with a purpose. Its made me appreciate the ones that fuel my happy by being honest, caring and never allowing me to doubt who I am.  They give me love and that awesome thread of connection. Show up for your good eggs and love on them all the time. 

NOW MATTERS MORE. I try to soak up what is happening right now in this moment. Yes tomorrow is relevant and goals are drivers for your tomorrow. However, I try not to lose focus on the present. There can be so many distractions ( so many) that pulls you away from getting all that you can from your now moments that it can be easy to miss out on those small delights. My stepdaughter Maddie ( the cutest human ever), has told me not to be on my phone while she's talking to me...say what?!! It was a huge moment for me and for us. I give her my full attention and get to hear those little and big things that are important to her. Things I could easily miss if I wasn't fully present. 

Quiet moments captured by the talented Karen E. Photography

One of my amazing humans introduced me to Brené Brown.  She is an American scholar, author, and public speaker. Listening to her was an illuminating experience for me and whenever I find something that is awesome and teaches me, I must share it with you. This is one of my favorite quotes from her: 

"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen"  Brené Brown

I hope it brings to you your own sense of purpose in this fantastic journey called life. 

You are so enough

This bag is from Mulberry Press Co, a wonderful lifestyle brand that's dedicated to delivering inspiration and positivity. What's not to love about that :)

Y O U   A R E   SO   ENOUGH

Words are so powerful. I remember my husband saying to me "babe, you've got this" when we were in the first stages of me diving into launching my personal styling company. His relentless support was the exclamation that I needed to take the chance and trust myself. It's love.

The phrase "you are so enough" resonates with me, especially in those moments where I felt I was not doing enough or I feared being inadequate. I believe as women we have these endless standards that are comprised to make us feel uncertain about our capabilities. However, what I've found is that the only barometer that matters is the one that you set for yourself. I'm constantly trying to figure out what I can do better with my business to best serve my clients. For me, it's been a whole lot of learning, researching, big time listening and allowing myself to be true to who I am. Along the way, I saw this merger of me working on being a better person contributed to me being a better business person. Trust me the process never ends and the learning is endless but I think that's a great thing. 

The eggs you surround yourself with matters in a BIG way so they better be good :) I have been blessed to meet some of the most intelligent, driven, passionate, kind humans who are at the top of their game in their careers. They have supported, inspired and encouraged me along the way. It's vital for me to know in my heart that I'm enough to do whatever it is that I want. However, it helps to have a village and that means surrounding myself with great eggs that are honest, kind, inspire and have some major integrity. 

You are so enough to be what you want and when you have moments when you don't feel enough, which we all do, just remember you are not doing this thing all by yourself. I've got your back.  

“You have worth, you have purpose and you are always more than enough in this life. When we love ourselves, we make room for others to love us and share our journey. Love is a powerful thing and it starts with loving everything you already are.”

— Sera, founder of Mulberry Press Co

How to hug in Portland

Japanese garden in Portland, OR

Okay I will fess up!! The hugging routine of Portlanders is no different from ours but I will say this I felt the love from all  the wonderful eating spots, cool boutiques, local bars (images not available ;)  and the oh so rad hotels we stayed in.  

I mean hospitality oozes from every pore and that just makes this girl very happy. 

Our stay in Portland, felt like this beautiful picture above taken by my girl Karen of Karen E Photography. Karen has an amazing eye and when we get the chance to work together, it's pure fun. I have so many ideas in my head and she's able to frame it perfectly.  Our trip was a combination of work and play but when your work is your play it all melts together seamlessly. We stayed at this amazing boutique hotel in downtown Portland called, The Society Hotel . It was originally built in 1881 as a boarding house for sailors. Quaint, cool and walking distance to so many yummy eating spots. Portland, you know how to treat a girl with all your amazing eats. Seriously y'all, every meal, fantastic. We mixed it up for our last night and stayed at the uber modern Hotel Eastlund. We've decided that hotel hopping was going to be a definite do on our next adventure, why not right?!!  

The Society Hotel 

Hotel Eastlund 

FOODPORN:   Brunch- Eat at Broder Nord. Order the Swedish pancakes that I would describe as foreplay...yes, they're that good. If you think all tater tots are created equal- try these badboys at McMenamins- Kennedy School. It's a game changer. Toro Bravo...heaven for dinner. The dishes are served tapas style and we enjoyed a long dinner with awesome company. Hey Nicole :)

THIS AND THAT- We visited so many great shops. Local nurseries that made me want to remedy my non-green thumb; Proof that KK is a tiny little thing and Mama's a tall drink of water; Cool floors at FETCH; KK loving on our hotel bed; Visit Por que no for Mexican eating that taste like grandma's loving. A great recommendation from our friend Em. 

I got to snap a shot of this beauty. 

KK: Karen and I have spent a lot of time together in the last year. I get the chance to create with someone who I respect and has a bit of that oddity, like myself,  which allows for some fun outside the box happenings. She's cool, talented and knows how to take those pics. For more Karen goodness check her out at Karen E Photography and IG @karenephoto. 

HELLO OUTFITS - These gold shoes were a staple. I wore them with everything on our trip...seriously, I did :)

Coat and turtleneck- JCrew; denim- Frame; Shoes- a steal at a LA vintage shop with my girl Jess. 

I hope you felt the HUGS!! Every getaway fuels my passion and it connects me to what really matters. I get so excited to share with you all my cool finds and loves. If it helps me grow, fuels my passion, enlightened a new perspective and allow a cute outfit to happen, yep, I'm sharing it with you. Thank you for allowing me to do that. It's your hug to me :)

The truth about leggings

Exploring Portland's Japanese Garden :)

When I see styles I love, I react in a few ways. Screams of joy, a happy dance and the outfits, oh the outfits y'all. Mama see's all the many ways one can wear this peice and how I can bring a fresh take on rocking it. Leggings, I will admit, I wasn't a huge fan. However, never say never ;) Leggings can go bad real fast worn the wrong way. I won't harp on the unsavory details of what not to do whilst wearing leggings but Mama will certainly give you my tips to rocking them in oh so cute ways.  

When I wear leggings it's all about finding that balance between comfort and looking pulled together. With that said, my first go to tip is to elevate your look by wearing something a little dressier with your leggings. In this case I'm rocking my gold oxfords. I know I'll be buried in something gold, I just LOVEEE!! I mean, rocking it certainly ups my swagger ( which we all need, right :) Ok, I digressed from the legging situation. 

Proportion matters. Leggings for me is that style where the butt check happens on a regular when being worn. As in, can you see my butt? Is my shirt long enough to cover said butt :) The shirt should be long enough to cover your derriere but not so long that if you raised your hands in a "raise the roof" manner and we still don't see your booty, that means the top is too long. The top should cover the front assets completely. So if you want to wear a crop top layer it with a longer shirt, left open in a jacket like style. I mean this one ;)

If it's too thin, feed it! Your leggings that is. Fabrics that have a bit more substance make your leggings fit better ( no bagging out) and holds all the goodness in ( looks fabulous). We like that! This particular one is a moto style and has a great mix of mostly Rayon, some Nylon and a bit of Lycra. It's a few years old and still works great. I couldn't find this brand to feature but I've provided my other loves. I'm a fan of this one and these.  The price is great and you can wear the JCrew ones with boots come winter.  Yes please :)

I believe in a lot of things, a little magic never hurts" Maddie, 10 years old

I have a bonus post coming your way tomorrow. It's all about my Portland work and play adventure with my girl Karen of Karen E Photography. If you want to learn how to hug in Portland I suggest you visit me tomorrow :) Cool as hell places to stay, pretty pretty photos and oh yeah, the food!! Need I say more. The love is real!! MUAH!

Wear What You Love

I'm wearing a vintage high waisted gold pencil skirt with gold oxfords and it makes me happy.  It makes me want to drop it like it's hot ( aka dance) and walk with an extra skip in my step. Seriously, putting on this outfit sets my day. It says "girrrlll, it's gonna be a good one."  Wearing what you love is a blissful combination of self- expression embodied with whatever kind of sass you want to deliver. I can sense when my clients are not comfortable in an outfit, even when their words say otherwise. The body is incredibly expressive.  I pay very close attention to those movements that tells me we're out of the "comfort zone" or the uncertainty that comes with newness... "can I really wear this."  One of my goals as a personal stylist is to navigate style in a way that highlights the best path for my client in the simplest way. 

Style is ubiquitous, which fuels and inspire self-expression in so many ways.

So what does it take to wear what you love? I have to admit, when it comes to style I have a very strange six sense. My clients call me the "outfit whisperer"  :) because I  see the outfits I want on them. For myself, I learned all about what looks work on me and it doesn't hurt that I'm obsessed with fashion and style. So, this allowed me to discard any other stuff that comes along my way that I know won't work and spend that time on better things. I also listen to myself ( you know that gut feeling that says, take that BLANK off, it is not the one). I'm also blessed with  fantastic peeps who deliver honest critique with a hug :)  

Wearing what you love, with the emphasis on YOU. I had the privilege to style this fantastic Mom of 5, yes 5 kiddos :) She has amazing curves and struggled to embrace said curves and find styles that worked for her. We all have our own body struggles. What I saw when we met was her amazing waist, great legs and wonderful shoulders. My mission- liberate all that goodness so that she too can begin to appreciate them in styles that compliment all those great assets. In turn, feeling great in what she wears.

Wearing what you love is REALLY loving you in what you wear. What's not to love about that :)