Monday, June 23, 2014

A brand new look & a huge "shop my closet" update!!

Ahem... notice anything... different?  I am absolutely thrilled with this brand new layout that Kate made for me!!  I've been wanting to do a bit of an overhaul for a while now, and the timing finally worked out.  Kate designed my original layout, which was great for when I was first starting out, but I definitely wanted something more personalized.  Amazingly, I pretty much told Kate the bare essentials of what I had in mind (color scheme, aesthetic), and she dreamed up all the rest!  I wanted something that combined a kawaii sensibility with a retro feel, and I think she did a wonderful job at marrying the two.  I'm especially smitten with the header she made; tying in my novelty purse collection into the page navigation was a stroke of genius.  Kate was also kind enough to make new ad buttons for me -- they're on the bottom right if you'd like to grab one!
And speaking of ads... I'd been doing some informal ad swaps and sponsorships for a little while, but I finally decided to start offering advertising opportunities through Passionfruit!  It streamlines the whole experience and takes a lot of the back-and-forth out of the equation.  You can get all the information on my advertising page, but essentially, I'm offering three different sizes of ads to choose from, and all are very affordable.  I'm still a relatively small blog (though I'm still growing, thanks to all of you!), so all of my ads are priced from $5 - $15 per month.  If you have any questions or want to contact me about a sponsorship opportunity (like a giveaway, a product review, a shop feature, etc.), you can always e-mail me.  If you are a small business owner, blogger, or offer a service or product that would fit right in with my girly, kitschy aesthetic, I'd love to work with you!

Finally, I have another piece of news: my "shop my closet" store is open again... with a MASSIVE update in items!  I now have over 65 pieces available for purchase in my shop!  It's been a long time coming, and I know I'll have at least one other big update to do later this summer; I'm really bad at getting rid of things, so I have a huge pile of clothes that I'm not quite ready to part with yet, but I know I will be soon.  I have some fantastic dresses (from brands like ModCloth, Urban Outfitters, Sugarhill Boutique, Trollied Dolly, Anthropologie, ASOS, Forever 21, H&M, and a couple of vintage finds!), plus a bunch of skirts, shorts, jeans, and even some jewelry and shoes up for sale!  In addition, I have a pretty wide range of sizes available (thanks, weight fluctuation!) -- there are lots of mediums and larges, but there are also a few XL pieces that are really great.  Essentially, if you are a US size 6-14, I have some great finds for you!  Here's just a sampling of what's in store in my store!  ;)
The last couple of days have been incredibly difficult ones, for reasons that I may or may not go into at a later time.  Working on this little "re-launch" has been a much-needed source of distraction, and I hope you like the new layout as much as I do.  On a sentimental note -- albeit a very important one -- take the time right now to hold your loved ones close.  Tell them you love them and how much they mean to you every single day.  Because one day, you might not get another chance.  Thank you all for bringing a lot of brightness into my life.  As silly and superficial as this little blogging habit of mine might seem to some, your support means the world to me, especially now.  Be safe, and may your lives be filled with light and love.

xox Sammi 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A camera, a blog layout and my first outfit post!

I'm back up in Rochester, and I've managed to cross a couple of things off my list!  Firstly, my lovely boyfriend Steven has allowed me to borrow his nice camera (along with his dad's tripod) for me to start taking photos.  Obviously, I need to learn how to use it, since I'm used to my regular Canon digital camera... but I'm excited to learn that, and more importantly, I'm excited that I'll now be able to take outfit photos (aka my main motivation for wanting to start a blog in the first place)!

I had been making do with a free blog template layout, but I just made a very small investment in a new one designed by a favorite blogger of mine, Kate Gabrielle of scathingly brilliant.  I love anything with scalloped edges and mint green, and the pink goes perfectly with my first (albeit small) outfit post.

I was able to visit Steven for a few days for Valentine's Day, which was very nice, especially since we weren't able to spend it together last year.  The only downside (other than finding fraudulent activity on my bank account -- caught just in time, thank goodness) was that I came down with a horrible head cold almost as soon as I arrived!  Lucky for me, Steven is a wonderful caretaker!  :)  One of the only times I ventured out of the house was to go out for our Valentine's Day dinner.  We went to a restaurant called Half Moon, which is owned by the same company as some of our other favorite restaurants in Montauk and in the Westchester area.  Now we have eaten at all of their restaurants!  I didn't take any pictures while there, but Steven snapped a few of my dress before we left, and I did take one with my iPhone of our menu for the evening.

I have since realized this pose needs work.






I have never felt more like Carrie Bradshaw in my whole life.


Outfit details
Dress: ASOS
Cardigan: ModCloth
Shoes: TJ Maxx
Necklace: Swarovski (Valentine's gift from Steven, 2 years ago)

Everything was delicious.  I had the arugula salad and surf & turf.  The dessert was to die for!



I'm happy to have the day off tomorrow, though I've had a lot of days off lately.  I'm going to work on figuring out this camera, and finish my other blog post draft, among other things.  I also have a couple of unexpected acting projects on the horizon, so I'm feeling like I hit a reset button and am shaking off the frustration I was feeling about my current situation.  I have to let myself feel the way I do, even if it's super negative and depressed, until it runs its course.  I'm relieved to be get back to being the positive, motivated person I enjoy being!