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My Goals for 2018

I know that goals and resolutions are kind of the same thing but I never like to say I'm setting new year resolutions because I feel like those are just set up to fail. Doing something for a full year is a really long time! So instead, I'm setting goals for myself.

Surprisingly, this is the first time on the blog I'm setting them in the new year (I usually set them around my New York Anniversary) but I'm really feeling the "fresh start" this year. Some are longterm, some are easy fixes but they're all things I would like to achieve in 2018. Enjoy!

Personal:1. Stay consistent with working outLast month I started BBG and I hope to stick with it. What is awesome is Andrew has decided to do it with me (he modifies it to fit his needs) and so now we're able to hold each other accountable and stick to the routine together. I'm never actually happy to work out, but after we finish I'm always glad we did it.
2. Increase my monthly savingsOver the past two years I've gotten really good at aggressively saving (it was a goal from 2015!). I've been working with my personal advisor and twice a month an amount is pulled from my accounts and put into my savings. We've been at this number for about six months and I think we need to increase it!
3. Get in control of my spendingI was doing my blog expenses for the year, looking over my past bills and spending from 2017 and -- woof -- I spent A LOT. I know it's part of the job, and I put a lot of money back into it, but I wasn't happy with how much I was spending. Just like I want to save more, I want to spend less. I realized I don't have much of a budget for purchases, and I'm not really paying attention to the income and expenditures. In some ways, this is great because I don't have that stress but it's also unnecessary because I could be saving more.
4. Write half a bookI think I mentioned this in a random blog post last year but I really want to write a book. I have the plot, the characters and the ideas all ready to go I just need to write it down. I realized adding another full-time job to my already busy plate was a bigger challenge than anticipated. So I'm setting a goal for myself to write half a book -- not the whole thing. But just 100/150 or so pages.
5. Wake up earlierThere was a month or two where I got in the routine of waking up at 7 and starting my day. I LOVED how much extra time I had to do things and I really would love to get back into that habit. It's just a mind over matter thing and something that is easily done so let's do it!

For the Apartment:1. Get a new couchI have this awesome blue couch from World Market that I love but it's getting old and isn't really the most inviting to spend a day on (it's more fashion over function) -- especially now that there is a new person in the apartment. So my goal for this year is to find a new (still blue velvet) couch that is comfortable, has a chaise and I would *love* (this is the hard part) for it to have a recliner but not actually look like it reclines. Any ideas?
2. Re-read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and clean out the apartmentIn the grand scheme of things, I really don't have that much stuff. We live in a 700 sq. ft. apartment so the option to have a lot isn't even there but I do feel cluttered by my things. I want to have an apartment audit and get rid of a lot. I read this book when I lived in my studio and was able to pack up about 20 trash bags full of items that I didn't need and it felt so good. I want to do it again and really get the apartment back in tip-top shape!
3. Shoot and video my apartmentI know I know I've been so bad about this!! But for a long time I never really looked at the apartment as "finished" but now that I think about it, I haven't really added anything new in months. So I guess that means we're done? I think after I clean out I'll get the apartment ready to shoot and we'll get this done. But you will see this within the year!

Blog:1. Write a long form post once a weekLooking back on my popular posts of 2017, I noticed the trend that almost all of the top 10 posts were longer form content; ones where I got more personal, more in-depth and more real with you guys. I love to write (obviously) but I just fell into the routine of typing a paragraph or two and hitting publish (life gets busy!). So my goal is to plan more in advance and to find a time to sit down and write a longer form blog post. I just need some ideas about what to write about!
2. Show more everyday and casual styleI really love to wear dresses and skirts. They are honestly my favorite, but when I was looking back on 2017 I realized I didn't show you more of my everyday / casual side. I know we all have those "I just want to be comfortable" days and so my hope is to share mine with you more often. Less heels, more sneakers!
3. Be better about emailsI really really fell off on emails this year. Between how crazy work was and the influx of blog emails I got overwhelmed. I used to just reply to them when I had some free time but now I think I need to set aside time to specifically work through emails and answer not just some, but all, and hold myself to it!
4. Get back to YouTubeI feel like I was really great about this in 2016 but I totally fell off last year and only published 20 videos (zero in the past three months). I love recording videos and talking to you guys, but it took a backseat because life got busy! So I'll try to do one video a month and see how it goes. I'm not totally going to overwhelm myself but I'll get back in the swing of things and go from there.
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If you guys want to see any individual blog posts about any of the goals above, let me know in the comments below! I'm happy to write something up and am looking for new ideas for posts in 2018!

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

I know that goals and resolutions are kind of the same thing but I never like to say I'm setting new year resolutions because I feel l...

It's coming!!

The best sale of the year is just around the corner and I'm so excited! This is always my favorite way to kick off the New Year. It may seem a little crazy buying resort items in the middle of the winter but if anything it's more of a kick in the butt to get somewhere warmer hahah.

Anyway! The sale starts on January 3rd at 8am ET and items are for the taking! If this is your first sale, let me share some major tips with you:

Login the day before -- the site will go down the night before and being logged in already helps with a speedy check out (so you don't lose any items in your bag!)
Get online early (set your alarm) - I usually login around 7:45 and just wait -- get ready, do other things, just whatever you do -- DO NO REFRESH YOUR PAGE. You will lose your spot in line! Lilly has a system so they website doesn't crash where they have a virtual line. Sometimes it can move quickly, other times not so much... so...
Be patient -- it's just a sale and there will be items still there if you're not the first person to shop. A lot of times too the site crashes and you just have to wait until they get it back up. Thats OK!
Shop quickly and check out ONE time -- my super stealth mode trick is to shop all on one page and narrow immediately by size (you can find your true match size HERE on their website -- it's actually pretty cool. Just take a 60 survey and you're done!) then I shop my favorites, add to my cart and check out! Once you check out remember you'll be placed at the end of the line to re-enter the site.
Check back daily for new additions -- Lilly is always known for adding items later in the day and also giving away some great prizes and promotions. SO be sure to check back whenever you have the chance after the sale has started. Thats when you find the prize jems!

You can see all the FAQ HERE to learn a little more about the sale this year and how to best shop it!

Other helpful links from past sales:

Monday, January 1, 2018

It's coming!! The best sale of the year is just around the corner and I'm so excited! This is always my favorite way to kick off t...

Happy 2018! Hope you all had a wonderful New Year celebration and are relaxing today. I would like to create more shopping collages this year so here is the first one and we'll see how it goes. Please let me know below if you like these or not! Need to know if I should keep them up!
SHOP THE BOOTS HERE:

First Row (top to bottom):

Sorel Conquest Boot ($295)
Ugg Fraiser Boot ($195)
J. Crew Nordic Boot ($178)
Sam Edleman Darrah Boot (on sale for $89)

Middle Row:

See by Chloe Eileen Boot ($420)
Marc Fisher Izzie Boot (on sale for $149)
AGL Hiker Boot ($595)

Last Row:

Ugg Viki Boot ($219)
Sam Edelman Carolena Boot (on sale for $104)
Jimmy Choo Darcie Boot ($1350)
Cole Haan Grandexplore Boot ($280)

Tis the season for cute winter boots! I've been seeing some great pieces all over and I've even snagged a few for myself. I have the Sorel wedge boots and LOVE them -- they are so comfortable! I also just added these Marc Fisher boots to my shopping bag, the shearling though the laces look so chic and warm. And I'm 99% sure I'm getting these Sam Edelman boots -- I love that they're girly with the heel but like kind of edgy with the color and laces. Plus they're on sale so who am I to say no?SHOP THE BOOTS HERE:

Happy 2018! Hope you all had a wonderful New Year celebration and are relaxing today. I would like to create more shopping collages this yea...

Thought we'd round out the year with some cold hard facts. Numbers, lists, items... think it would be fun to do a somewhat audit of the past year for both of our knowledge! I hope you all have an AMAZING New Year and I will see you in 2018!!
Favorite Things I Bought This Year (in no order):

Most Clicked on Items: This Lace Midi Dress (back in stock)
Most Purchased Item: Ralph Lauren Wool Coat (still in stock)
Most Popular Blog Series: What I Wore to Work
Top 5 Blog Posts (post from earlier this week!)
Our Top 5 Favorite Places to Shop:

Nordstrom
Lilly Pulitzer
J. Crew Factory
LL Bean
J. Crew

My Favorite Sponsored Post: Our year long partnership with Tidy Cats!
My Top Followers (they are here daily and comment!): Louella Reese and Dana Mannarino
Covering the Bases By the Numbers...

35% YoY Blog Traffic Growth
30% YoY Commission Growth
230 blog posts
350 Instagram posts

Top 5 Blog Traffic Rankings:

Google
Instagram
Pinterest
Franish the Blog
Facebook

Most Liked Instagram's of 2017:

To Whomever is Reading This: Thank you. I know it might not *seem* like I'm appreciative for each of you, but I am. I am, I am, I am. You guys who follow and read and comment along are the reason I continue to do this. Without your support I would have given up years ago... I've been able to connect with so many wonderful people since starting this blog and I don't think I'd be as fulfilled in my life without you all. So thank you for making 2017 another great year. I'm so excited to see where we go from here.

Goals for Next Year: I want to do a more in-depth blog post about this in the New Year but...

-Get back to being great at emails (I've fallen off)

-Plan ahead for when I know life will get busy

-Be more active with my followers

-Continue to grow the blog

-Save more!

Friday, December 29, 2017

Thought we'd round out the year with some cold hard facts. Numbers, lists, items... think it would be fun to do a somewhat audit of the ...

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As I do each year, I look back at the year in outfits and pick out my favorites! This year I tried to narrow it down to one per month and really hoped to incapsulate my year in fashion. I hope you enjoy! You can see the full looks by clicking on the photo or the link below it.

Here

See my year in fashion from 2015 / 2014 / 2013 here!
And don't forget you can look back by season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer), by Holiday and by Work outfits all under the Fashion tab at the top of the page!

Thursday, December 28, 2017

( here ) As I do each year, I look back at the year in outfits and pick out my favorites! This year I tried to narrow it down to one per mon...

2017 was another great year of travel, bookended by some amazing beach vacations. We traveled internationally 4 times, had 7 trips to the beach and visited 5 islands. I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store -- if was anything like this past year, we're in luck!

Maui

Chicago

Hamptons

Brigantine

Orlando

Italy

North Carolina

Portland, ME

and currently... Turks and Caicos!!

See my past travels from 2016, 2015 and 2014 here!

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

2017 was another great year of travel, bookended by some amazing beach vacations. We traveled internationally 4 times, had 7 trips to the be...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of family and love. This is my favorite time on the blog because it's a lot of review and reflection -- starting with the most popular posts of 2017 -- NONE of which are "true" outfit photos (meaning just linking the clothes and talking about them) but ones that are more personal and insightful. Hope you enjoy them all over again!

1. Swimsuits in Maui