Signature Piece - Jacket Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, October 9

Each season I add to my wardrobe piece by piece. I already have things in my closet from last season but want to build and freshen up a bit. Instead of starting over I look for my new "signature"... what statement am I trying to make, what new trends am I loving and what bold fashion risks do I want to take the plunge on?  This style board is what I would like to wear tomorrow!!!! I am literally obsessed with the cobalt blue trumpet shaped jacket and believe it or not have something very similar in my Heirbloom Vintage Collection.  Pics of that to come.

What statement are you making this season? What new trends are you diggin but may not be sure how to piece it all together?  Let me know and I will create a style board of ideas.  

Signature PIece - Jacket by ahndeamay on polyvore.com

Family Photography Posted by Unknown | Wednesday, October 3

Today I thought I would post some pictures from recent shoots.  Remember the photo shoot of my littles taken by the amazing Ashleigh Arneson? I love styling "family shoots" it's fun to allow the kids to be expressive and feel like themselves while capturing all the moments. For this shoot, I wanted to let the kids play so I took some down pillows and emptied out the feathers and let them go wild.  It was so much fun for all of us.

The key to styling your family is to not get stuck thinking you all in to be in one color.  I get the everyone in white on the beach, that's very pretty, but photography captures color so well and really bring the photo to life. The Schlichting family is a great example.  Their shoot taken by Megan Swederski and it turned out beautifully.  The key was to put Danielle in what she would feel beautiful wearing and then build around it.  Always mixing prints, solids and textures gives the best overall look. 

One Denim Shirt Posted by Unknown | Monday, October 1

Denim is huge this fall and I have some great ways to wear it!  This first style board, has some amazing finds with no budget in mind. Remember, sometimes it's best to splurge on "one" piece you will wear over and over and then go less expensive on the staples to pair it with, like in the second style board where each piece is under $50. 

One Denim Shirt by ahndeamay featuring clutch handbags

Madewell vintage shirt / Free People denim jacket / Maison Scotch / Free People / AllSaints sequin skirt / Bardot lace shorts, $83 / Nolita , $365 / Osborn lace up booties / Rebecca Minkoff clutch handbag / Sakdidet Road feather jewelry, $49 / Balmain , $600

Denim - $50 by ahndeamay featuring studded lace up boots

Denim top / eFashion / Rich & Skinny corduroy cargo pants / Free People pants / Crochet shorts / Vanilla Star vintage pants / Tribal print skirt / AX Paris studded lace up boots, $49 / River Island floral handbag, $45 / Ball necklace / Sheer shawl

Shoes with a Purpose Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, September 25

Do you dream of shoes that line up nicely coordinated by color and style?  Is your closet a pile of shoes with no rhyme or reason just taking up space and hardly worn?  Good!  I am here to help! There is something about an organized closet that helps me feel... well organized.  I can find my clothes easier, get ready faster, and have more time to actually get ready vs spending 20 minutes "finding" something and 3 minutes brushing my, teeth, hair and throwing on some lipgloss.  

My darling friend Lindsay let's me style her often and will randomly send me pictures with the question "yay or nay?" I find this extremely fun, almost like a game and Lindsay finds it helpful.  So the pictures I received last night were the below with the captions"yay or nay?" "right or left?" 

Clearly the girl has a ton of flats and not many heels, so we kept all of the heels until she adds more to her collection. The goal was to not have 2 of the same type of shoe. Color, style, shape etc. When you minimize you will actually love what you have and wear it more often.  So after a smattering of texts and photos Lindsay has reduced her shoe collection way down... but in return only has what she LOVES and in the end provides better styling and less time finding. 

Happy Shoes 

ispacedesign.com

Passion With A Voice Posted by Unknown | Thursday, September 20

Do you have a voice?  In this culture we no longer have to march through town on our soap boxes and rally the community to speak our minds and create change. The brilliant world of "social media" has allowed us to speak freely, create a following, and be inspired by others in the process. With a plethora of bloggers who now have one place to store their passions, convictions, talents, expressions, rights, demands, losses, grievances, and inspirations we are left with an overload of choices and can almost become lost in the masses.  How do you gain the respect and attention from your peers without a megaphone on wheels? How can you possibly stand out in a world of such talent and creativity?  

My venture began as a mom trying to find my place in this new season of life. Less about me and more about my family.  All the while not loosing me but maybe working smarter or differently. As a stylist, I follow so many fantastic blogs with the best designs and clout and so I began to feel inadequate.  Do I need training for this, is their a science to being a successful blogger?  Do I need to be on the "inner" circle and somehow become friends with the Oh Joy's of the world (Huge Fan!).  Truth be told, I haven't figured all of this out yet... just taking steps forward, networking, collaborating, posting but feeling a bit like I'm missing the road map, ya know?  It's become clear I can only get so far on my own navigation and am in much need of some leaders who have already cracked the code! 

Altitude Summit

So where to go? How do we find these seasoned leaders... and how do we weed through the masses of internet spam with the next 10 step program or kit that costs a fortune! Well, luckily for me I have a good friend Trina author of LaLa Lovely, who is the "proof" in the pudding for skill, smarts, creativity + eduction = major legit! I have lived vicariously through Trina as she packed, traveled, got coffee, met really cool people, got dressed up, oh and learned some really invaluable tools that have helped grow her following.  In a brief interview this morning, Trina said "the biggest takeaway from attending Alt was the education and tools and overall knowhow of management + all of the amazing relationships and friendships I have made and kept." 

"For blogging inspiration and business advice check out the new Alt blog"

Picture credit
dpreview

The New Collar Posted by Unknown | Wednesday, September 19

I absolutely love the fact we are recreating the "choker" into jeweled peter pan collars. I was able to find a lovely vintage collar from a local antique mall which instantly inspired me to create something of my own.  I have many ideas of what I want to design this fall, especially for my littles!  For some reason anything that is mini is so much cuter!

This is the collar I designed for my daughter.  Her school uniform needed some sprucing up and so I added some lace, fabric, and beading from an old vintage necklace. I also designed the neck piece below as my version of the choker or head piece.

The New Collar by ahndeamay on Polyvore

Stockton Johnson Shoots Fall Beauty Looks for Elle Vietnam September... / Portrait Maud Welzen by Felix Lammers / Free People "Primal Scream" Collection / Erin Heatherton is All Smiles for Blanco's Fall/Winter 2012 Campaign / number 2 / number 4 / number 3 / number 1 / Fall Fashion / Arrow

Free People Inspired Posted by Unknown | Monday, September 17

It's that time of year for senior portraits and with that comes young beautiful girls with great fashion sense who want to portray themselves as who they are + unique.  Not the very same posed portrait shots with the black background or the head tilt lean against a tree.  Jeff Anderson Photography is quickly becoming the "new trend" in senior portrait photos. He was smart enough to see the value in wardrobe styling and overall "story" of the shoot. Hair, make-up, and stylized photography is a powerful combination, with some fantastic results.

This is a shot from a Free People inspired shoot.  Behind the scenes Jeff meets with the client to determine wants and expectations.  We then talk through style concept and begin a Style Board of pictures to give us a guide as we select wardrobe and overall look for hair and makeup. We have a pre-style session where I fit for wardrobe including Heirbloom accessories.  After wardrobe is determined we "rack" it and get ready for the shoot.

Hair and makeup is styled by Kristin Ronan