I debated whether I would post these because there isn’t much to them. But if I am sticking with the idea of my true “everyday style” then here we are… My travel home outfit from Texas. It was comfy and I had wet hair but with a few accessories felt a little more done up then just a tshirt and jeans. My favorite souvenir from Texas was the new necklace I bought from the supremely talented Merl. Have you seen her jewelry before? So, so good!
You know that movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back? haha. I feel like that could be the title for this outfit post. I will be honest and say I’ve felt really insecure in pictures since having Finley. Well, maybe insecure isn’t the right word. I just haven’t been comfortable in my own skin I guess. A bit of that had to with baby weight but it also had to do with just getting use to this new role of being a Mom of two. Over the last few weeks a bit more of the baby weight has come off finally, but more importantly I feel like we are hitting our stride around here. We are entering into that stage where things feel normal again. I don’t quite know how to explain it other than I am feeling good. I was really nervous about going to the conference and having to get all dressed up and be presentable all weekend long. I use to love stuff like that, but that’s just not my day to day anymore. I was afraid I was going to feel so out of place and uncomfortable. I packed my outfits hoping I would still like them when I got there, and decided to let go of all the negativity I was holding on to. I was going to be proud of the weight, shape, and look of my 2 baby body and I was going to own every outfit I brought. I decided I was just going to be happy. And you know what? Sometimes you just need a good kick in the pants (or change of attitude) and a reason to wear some super awesome heels to make you feel like yourself again.
I found this dress at Marshalls and fell in love. I decided to make it feel a little bit more youthful and modern by adding a sheer button up underneath it. Thanks to Lulu’s for sending me a killer necklace and heels to complete the outfit!
I sat for a long time on the plane ride home from Texas just thinking about the Conference. I felt like there was a lot to process. Indiana and her crew really knocked it out of the park this year. It was the perfect combination of old and new friends, parties, workshops and fun. I love how laid back and casual it was. It really lead to a nice vibe the whole weekend. If you haven’t gone to a Texas Style Council Conference then you should! The next and final one is going to be this up coming March during SXSW. Start planning.
Blogging is a funny thing. It’s something that so many of us take part in. It’s a part of who we are, how we live our lives and how we see the world. It becomes our normal. You remember just how weird it is though when you meet someone who doesn’t blog and they ask you about it. I feel silly saying something like “yeah, I write a blog about myself. Yes. I put pictures of myself in my outfits on the internet.” It sounds ridiculous. I get all squirmy having that conversation. I am proud of my blog but I think it’s a hard thing to explain/understand if you are not a blogger yourself or at least someone who enjoys reading blogs. That is why I love these conference weekends so much. For those few days you are surrounded by inspiring women who get that part of you. They have that same passion to share a part of themselves as well. We all come from different backgrounds, different locations, different walks of life, yet we are all connected. I can say without a doubt that these women are some of the dearest, truest, and loveliest friends I have. Not just blogger friends, but real life friends. I love these girls. We may have blogging in common but our friendships run so much deeper.
Julie and I were nominated (and won!) for “Best Pals” at the Prom during the conference. It was such an honor to win that one in particular. The thing I love the most about blogging is the connections and friendships I have made. So to be nominated for “Best Pals” was awesome and very special to me. As you know, I had a workshop about critics and criticism on Sunday. Afterwards, all I could think about was how silly it is that we (I) let that bother us so much. Yes, it is very hurtful but as I looked around I realized this is what mattered. These friends. This community of women. Encouraging, inspiring and building each other up. I hope we can all remember that next time we read something mean someone has written about us. I am so grateful for these ladies, for their blogs, and for who they are inside and out.
What a weekend! We got home yesterday from a super fun weekend away in Austin for the TxSC Conference. It is one of my favorite things we do every year! We ended up deciding to leave Finley. Kev and I had such a fantastic time together. Well worth all the stress I had leading up to leaving the girls (although, I wish I didn’t stress so much about it!). It was nice to get to dress up every day for a change. Hair done, dresses, makeup, jewelry, heels. I felt pretty good! I will be sharing some of my outfits over the next little bit. Here is what I wore on Saturday. The dress is a legit neon orange color- not sure why the pictures didn’t capture that. I LOVE the color of this dress!
OUTFIT DETAILS:
Tye Dye Dress: Gap (on sale now!)
Necklace: c/o Lulu’s
Sunglasses: c/o Lulu’s
Peeptoe Wedges: Kork-Ease
Watch: c/o Lulu’s
Saturday was a lovely day with breakfast in the morning with Ruche (aww love Mara & Tieka), lunch in the afternoon with Kelsey and Eric, workshops and then some thrift store shopping. Funny Story. Some kid came up to Kev in Savers and told him he looked like Macklemore. Than walked away yelling “thrift shopping”. Haha. Awesome.
Are you looking for a super fun, down to earth and motivating blog conference to go to? Well you should all go buy tickets to go to the Texas Style Council Conference this year. It is by far one of my favorite conferences. I look forward to it every year!! This year it’s going to be the best one yet. Indiana has revamped the whole thing- making a great schedule of small classroom type workshops instead of large panels. Now you can sit and talk one on one with other bloggers about topics that you want to learn more about. Kev and I will both be there leading workshops. Come pop by Kev’s workshop for some one on one time with a designer. Get tips and advice on how to design the best blog, logo, or other design elements for your posts. I will be talking about how to handle critics with your head held high. I am planning on chatting about both our inner and outer critics. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy- there can be a lot of competition, comparison and jealous with blogging. I hope to be real, honest and have a great discussion with you guys about it. I definitely don’t have all the answers but I have dealt with being critical of myself and also having to deal with a lot of internet bullies. The conference is geared towards any kind of blogger, business owner, or just fun loving, creative-types. See full schedule HERE
Did you know the Elsie and Emma are the Keynote speakers this year? How amazingly cool right? Love those girls to pieces.
Are you going? Can’t wait to meet you all.
There is still time!! GO GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!!
*Posh Party Balloon Photobooth by Peter Tung (last year at the conference)
Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!
