halloween decor

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Oh my goodness ya’ll! It’s October, aka the best month ever! From September through December I’m just a bundle of seasonal happiness. The leaves change, there’s a crispness to the air (jk I live in Texas), and it’s appropriate to have an absurd amount of decorations in your house. It’s just so lovely! Since I’m a big fan of decorating pretty much everything, I went on Amazon to browse their Halloween and fall items. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’m a proud Prime member and I order everything I can through Amazon, seasonal decor included. Although my boyfriend won’t be thrilled with me bringing anymore decorations into our apartment, he’s not in charge. So there. Take that David!

Halloween Decor on Amazon

Ok so let me tell you why I chose that adorable maple leaf tree over there. My mom always had a “fall tree” in our house that she would put up with little leaf ornaments and it just meant the world to me! It just felt cozy and comforting whenever you’d walk into our house. I loved it and I want one in my future home!

Also, let’s talk about that doormat. Am I the only one who loves a good seasonal doormat? I need one for every season! Unfortunately, my cat has taken to sharpening her claws on every single one I buy, but ultimately they’re one of my favorite outdoor decorations.

The final item I’m going to chat about is that adorable blanket scarf. If you don’t have one by now, you’re a lost cause. I have at least 4, probably more if I were honest. I wear them on planes so I can unfold them into a literal blanket because I always get seated next to someone who’s having a hot flash. Unfortunately, Texas heat hasn’t permitted me to wear one yet but in about 2 months it may get below 70 degrees and you better believe I’ll be wearing all 4 of mine at the same time. With a quilted vest, obviously.

Share your favorite Halloween traditions or decorations with me! I love hearing about them!

*links are affiliate

dallas fashion blogger

 

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Happy *late* International Coffee Day! I completely missed it on Friday and was kicking myself all day for not writing this before now. My job has me working 60 hours a week at times so keeping up with my blog and all of you guys kinda takes a back burner when I’m in desperate need of sleep. My bad guys! Anyway, coffee has a special place in my heart because it keeps me going even when I want to crash! But it’s hard to find yummy coffee that I know for fact is sourced ethically. Let me introduce you to the West Rock Coffee Company!

Coffee with a Purpose

West Rock Coffee Company sources their coffee beans from farmers all over the world, however it started in Rwanda. In 2009, the company revitalized an old coffee mill in Rwanda. Since then, they began sourcing their beans from farmers all over Africa and South America. To further assist the farmers producing coffee beans, West Rock Coffee Company teaches financial literacy and better agricultural practices to farmers enrolled in their Agribusiness Training Program.

I sometimes wonder when I drink certain coffees whether or not there was slave or child labor involved with the production of it. With West Rock Coffee I don’t have think about that because I know where my coffee is coming from and who produced it.

Coffee Review

Ok so the coffee they sent me is divine! The Rich & Robust flavor is my favorite! It’s really smooth and tastes way better than my usual go-to Folgers coffee. The K-Cups were also a really neat surprise because I love my Keurig coffee too! I’m dying to try the French press they sent me but I need to watch a YouTube video on using it before I put those precious beans in there.

One of my favorite things they sent in my package was that gorgeous orange and pink hand-woven bowl. It was made by one of the farmer’s wives in Rwanda and it is truly stunning! It will definitely be my table centerpiece for years to come!

Give West Rock Coffee Company a try! Their products are sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kroger!

*Products were gifted. All opinions are my own.

dallas fashion blogger

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style blogger in dallas

tassel earrings

sc sister meetup

style con dallas

professional hairstyling

Hey everyone! I wanted to give you a little recap of StyleCon Dallas last weekend! One of the things I never expected to find in Texas was so many fashionable ladies (and bloggers!) This event was so much fun and everyone walked away with a ton of swag in their swag bags (who doesn’t love that?!) I got to meet up with my Style Collective sisters and meet our founder, Miss Annie Spano!

Fashion Blogging Tips from Experts

I wanted to share with you a few blogging tips and things I learned from the panelists that spoke at StyleCon. They were all really helpful and lots of fun to listen to, especially Catherine Lowe, the winner of the Bachelor a few years back!

One of the speakers (I’m a flake and forgot who) was talking about how brands are looking for influencers with high engagement rates. What this means for bloggers like me is that a big following is no longer enough, brands want influencers with followers who like, comment, and click on links.

Holly Tuggy talked about her experience on YouTube dealing with bullies. I thought she was really clever when she said that she pins mean comments to the top of the comments section and replies to them saying she’s sorry for whatever they’re going through, because happy people don’t say things like that. I’ve had one or two people say rude things to me and I just brush it off because they’re trying to get under my skin.

Raven Elyse shared how she puts herself out there and tries to be authentic with her followers. I think that’s really important because people want a personal connection with brands and influencers. I’m in marketing so I should know! Raven said she will cry on camera if that’s how her heart is feeling and I admire her for that- it’s scary to be vulnerable!

Catherine Lowe shared about her life and winning the 17th season of the Bachelor and also starting her own company, Lowe Co. She also brought up being vulnerable and authentic with your followers. She said her very first kiss with Sean (her now husband) was on national television. Talk about being vulnerable!

Finally, Annie Spano shared her story on how she went from being in a work place that wasn’t kind to her to running her own company- Style Collective! The whole purpose behind this resource for bloggers is to help women to connect rather than only compete. I absolutely love this! Women are so competitive and to have a group of girls that lifts one another up is fantastic!

Fun perks from StyleCon

StyleCon also offered some really fun perks in addition to great speakers! You’ll see in the photos above that I got my hair done for free thanks to the Tangerine Salon. Aveda also freshened up my makeup AND waxed my eyebrows- all complimentary! I also got a neck massage for free, talk about being pampered! There were also several stations offering manicures to conference goers, which was really neat!

There were tons of fashion and beauty vendors there as well. One of my favorites was Studio to Street Boutique! They specialize in affordable luxury fitness clothing and let me just say, it’s adorable! I bought a cute shirt from there that says “Will Blog for Brunch.” How accurate is that?!

If you were at StyleCon, let me know! It was such a fun event and I’m still tired from it, but so worth it!

dallas fashion blogger

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I’m jumping right into the topic of this post instead of informing you of how tired I am (I’m really tired). Instagram’s algorithm has changed yet again! Shocking, isn’t it? I’m seriously suffering from this update and according to other bloggers and Instagrammers I’ve talked to, they’re suffering as well. It’s so discouraging to have worked so hard to build up an audience of followers that like your content only to have it go away thanks to a new algorithm. Such is life. My engagement has dropped more than 50% in the last few weeks and unfortunately, I’m not alone!

What You Need to Know About the Instagram Algorithm

Ok so, I’ve done my research and picked up a few important tidbits about the Instagram algorithm change. Are they all verified by Instagram? No, but I don’t think they every verify much of anything to begin with. So here’s what I’ve come up with:

Instagram Engagement Matters

Obviously engagement matters no matter what, but now Instagram is showing posts with higher engagement above those with less engagement. On top of that, Instagram posts need engagement immediately for them to rank higher and be shown to more people. 

Instagram Relationships

Instagram has gotten smart and now values posts from people you tend to engage with more. For example, if you like and comment on your best friend’s Instagram posts quite often, Instagram is going to show you their posts before anyone else’s. 

Hashtags Matter

I used to rely entirely on the same set of hashtags for every post I published but from what I’ve read, that’s a terrible strategy. Your hashtags have to be relevant to the post your publishing. For example, I published something on my Nike shoes yesterday and I used hashtags like #fitspo and #justdoit. Those hashtags are relevant to what I was actually posting about. However, hashtags like #girlboss or #dallasblogger would have hurt the post more than helped it. 

Grid Changes are in the Future

As if not showing our posts in chronological order wasn’t enough, Instagram might also start showing posts in our profile in a 4 x 4 grid as opposed to 3 x 3. How’s that for mind blowing? Instead of bringing back the old algorithm, they might be introducing something else too. 

Have you noticed a decline in engagement? If so, comment below! The algorithm changed earlier this year and they’ve tweaked it since causing chaos among all the fashion bloggers such as myself. Let me know what your experience has been like!

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pray for houston tee

prep obsessed review

help hurricane harvey tees

pink long sleeve tees

Is it really mid-September already?! I haven’t even had time to decorate yet! As I’m writing this, I have my pumpkin spice candle burning and a box of fall decorations on the floor calling my name. I’m so busy every day that I barely have time to eat let alone decorate. Today however, I’m going to let that box sit there for awhile longer and share this really cute long-sleeve tee with you that has a great purpose behind it!

Prep Obsessed (an online boutique and store in Florida) started stocking these “Pray for Texas” tees right after Hurricane Harvey demolished the Houston area and I decided to get one! They’re still on sale (link here) for $19.99 and half the proceeds go to the American Red Cross. The back of the tee says “One Nation Under God. Pray for Texas.” The front of the tee has the Simply Southern logo too. These tees are so comfy and adorable, I definitely recommend them!

Reputable Charities to Donate to

A lot of people are donating to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, which is great. It says a lot about the heart of the American people in my opinion. However, I’ve read conflicting things about the Red Cross and where donations actually end up. So in addition to the proceeds that go to the Red Cross from my Simply Southern tee, I have a few other charities that are worthy of donation. I’ve done a bit of research and come up with my own list of charities to donate to in both Texas and Florida. Feel free to leave a comment with any of your favorites as well!

  • Samaritan’s Purse (4-star rating on Charity Navigator)
  • Convoy of Hope(4-star rating on Charity Navigator)
  • Habitat for Horses (4-star rating on Charity Navigator)
  • Texas Wildlife Rescue Center (they have a need for donations since Hurricane Harvey!)
  • Friends For Life (also in need of donations since Harvey)
  • Matthew 25: Ministries (4-star rating on Charity Navigator)

Of course there are many other great charities to donate to in both Florida and Texas but these are the ones that I could verify. Always do your research before donating because there are a lot of scams out there unfortunately. The charities I always tend to donate to are local charities such as animal shelters or homeless shelters that don’t tend to have a large overhead budget. Having interned for multiple nonprofits in college, I know what’s wasteful spending and what isn’t.

If you live in any of the affected areas, leave me a comment so I can at least comment on your blog or Instagram and follow you!

dallas fashion blogger

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preppy outfit

Marley Lilly fall shirt

jack rogers on the beach

Oh my goodness y’all! I had such an amazing time visiting my family over the last few days. I’m a native Marylander living in Dallas trying to survive the heat and cowboy boots, so a weekend home is always appreciated! The air was so crisp and waking up to a fresh pot of good ol’ Folgers with a light breeze blowing through the house was nothing short of perfect. With a hint of fall in the air, I broke out my favorite Marley Lilly fall long sleeve tee!

Seriously, I loved this monogrammed t-shirt so much that I bought my mom one too! The back of the shirt says “Every year I fall for pumpkins, bonfires, s’mores, autumn leaves, apples, & monograms.” How cute is that?! I completely admit that I’m a basic girl, so this tee was made for me! Plus that monogram on the front is a complete home run!

My best friend Jessica and I went with my mom and sister to a local beach in my hometown for an afternoon and I made my sister take pictures of my tee on the beach! There’s something so preppy about wearing monograms and long sleeves on the coast, you know what I mean? We sat in beach chairs while chatting and listening to the waves wash on the shore. That’s something I never really knew how I much I loved until I moved away. It really is the most peaceful sound in the world.

Anyway, if you haven’t gotten this shirt yet- you need it! They put this cute tee on sale quite often too so be on the look out for that! I’m always featuring Marley Lilly products in my posts so I’ll be sure to link to my favorites! For more preppy essentials, check out this post from a few weeks ago!

dallas fashion blogger

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