Thank You! Liebster Award Nominations

Hey everyone! I hope your Saturday is treating you well! Mine started off with Body Pump (ow!) and errands with my mama. This past week has been so stressful and so amazing! I was nominated two times for the Liebster Award by Chelsea and Gina. Thank you so much ladies!!

Basically, the Liebster Award is an award given to new bloggers with a smaller following. The award is essentially a "Hey new blogger, we think you have great potential! Love, fellow bloggers" kind of thing. The goal is to help increase bloggers' followings and it's also just a fun thing to do for all us bloggers! None the less, I am flattered and excited to have received a nomination (let alone two!) at all.

There are a few rules for those nominated:

1. Mention the person who nominated you with a link to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Create a new set of questions for your 11 nominees to answer.

So... I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post! It's going to be a lengthy one as I'll be answering both Chelsea and Gina's questions!

First, Chelsea:

1. How do you deal with stress?

I'm kind of an extremely stressed out person in general. I make a lot of lists, my planner is color coded... I have to triple check it every night before I go to bed to make sure I didn't miss any assignments. As of late I've found that in order to keep my anxiety levels down I have to do some kind of physical activity every day (or close to every day.) Even if it's just going for a walk with my pup!

2. What was one of your New Year's resolutions; if you didn't make any, why not?

I actually did a post about my resolutions! One of them was to learn to budget. I have an impeccably bad spending problem and my credit card bill has really been hating me for it lately.

3. Name your favorite piece of jewelry. Does it have any special meaning to you?

My favorite piece of jewelry... A hard one! I have two. Both with special meaning. The first is a gold ring I almost always wear. It was my grandmother's. She passed away just over two years ago and I treasure that ring dearly. The second was a birthday gift this past year from my grandpa. It's actually the Kate Spade "Find the Silver Lining" Idiom Necklace. After I saw Silver Linings Playbook (one of my favorites!), I fell in love with this quote: 

"You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining."

So obviously I needed that necklace. The quote hit me so hard.

4. Do you have a quote that resonates with you? Post it!

In addition to the one above, I love this one by Elizabeth Taylor...

"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together."

I lived by it for quite a while, and still do from time to time. 

5. What's your favorite genre of book to read?

I'm not a huge reader, but when I do read, I definitely tend to veer towards romance novels. #noshame

6. Your favorite type of pajamas?

I don't know that I have a favorite type of pajama. I like loose fitting tops and shorts (in the summer time my undies...), or a sleep shirt from Victoria's Secret is always nice too.

7. Lace or leather?

Oh my! Both. Depends on my mood. If I'm feeling ladylike, lace. Feisty? Leather.

8. Handmade present or something name brand?

Don't get me wrong, I love my brands. I'm a borderline snob sometimes (not something I like about myself...), but with that said, I appreciate handmade/homemade gifts all the same as name brands. If they're made with an inside joke in mind or from one of my dear friends, no price or label can replace that.

9. Must- have winter accessory?

Even though I just got them this Christmas, my Bean boots. I'm actually questioning how I ever lived without them.

10. Music you recently listened to that you consider a "guilty pleasure?"

One Direction (British accents and boy band looks? Sue me.)

11. If your life was made into a TV show, who would play you?

I like to think Jennifer Lawrence would because she's easily the coolest celebrity on the planet. But after her success, she's kind of too big for TV. If we're being completely honest though, the girl who plays Sue Heck on The Middle  is the fourteen year old me. Do with that what you will.

And now, Gina!

1. At what point in your life did you realize you are more into style than the average person, and how did this transition into starting a life and style blog?

I've always loved shopping and clothes. For as long as I can remember, my Nana would always take me shopping for back to school clothes every summer and I'd be counting down the days until I could wear all my "cool" new outfits. Even when I was younger though, my love for clothes was nothing out of the ordinary. When I got to college though, and was forced into this whole new group of individuals who seemed to pay no mind to what anyone thought of them, something kind of clicked. And my shopping problem got way worse! This past summer I started reading blogs on the daily and falling in love with them. Since I also love writing, I thought I'd venture out and try to start my own! So far, it's working pretty well... thank goodness!

2. If you had to summarize your style using only three words, what would they be?

Girly. Classy. Simple.

3. Do you have any pets? If so, what type of animal?

I have a dog and a cat! I don't know what kind of cat my cat is, but we rescued her and she's a love. My dog is a cockapoo and although annoying at times, she's the most adorable thing on the planet and I don't know that I could live without her.

4. If you could make a living doing what you love most, what would that be?

Ah! This is a good question. If I could be talented and artistic enough to design clothes, I would definitely be doing that. But, unfortunately I wasn't blessed with the artistic gene.

5. What are the top three items on your wishlist right now? How would this list differ if money were less of a concern, or would it?

The top three items on my wishlist right now are:
1. The Clarisonic

2. Kate Spade Montreal Boots

3. The Melenia Top

I'd like to say this list would differ if money were less of a concern, but again the shopping problem... Money is a concern, and yet, I'd buy the $228 top. Because I have a problem.

6. Do you feel that you've become more weight conscious since skinny jeans took over?

I've always been weight conscious, but since clothes have started getting tighter in the past years (why crop tops ever had to make a comeback is beyond me...) I have become more aware of what I can and can't wear. I think skinny jeans are a great option for a lot of people though, regardless of size. If you wear them right, they can do wonders for every body type!

7. What has been your greatest blogging challenge so far?

My greatest blogging challenge so far has been conquering my fear of what people would think of me and my blog. Now it's started to become more of a "Hey I have a blog and I'm so excited about it and you should be excited about it too!" kind of thing. It's what I love and it has helped play a great role in my conquering my fear of others' judgement. Haters gonna hate. Whateva.

8. Is there an item or a certain style you can't stop buying, and now you have several?

My collection of jeans (in all styles) has grown quite a bit in the past year actually, now that I think of it. I used to hate them, but now I seriously can't get enough.

9. If you could only shop one store from now on, which one would it be?

J. Crew. Easily.

10. What is your number one goal for your blog in 2014? Beyond 2014?

I started this blog for me. I haven't really thought too much beyond it being a kind of creative outlet. I'm so flattered that people have taken so well to it, and I hope that I can connect with more readers as time goes on. I've heard so many great things about building friendships via the blogging community and that's something I would definitely like to dive into more as the years go on and my blog (hopefully!) continues to grow.

11. Have your close friends and family been supportive of your blog?

So immensely supportive. It's heartwarming and amazing and I love them even more for it (if that's even possible.) I have an amazing group of people behind me on this and it's really made all the difference. My best friend is the whole reason I pressed "Publish" on my first post ever...

p.s. I never thanked her for that, THANK YOU. I LOVE YOU.

Okay, so now for my nominations...

1. Abby from The Preppy Coxswain

2. Poised and Preppy

3. Sarah at Ballerinas and Buttons

4. Newlywed (!!!) Melissa from Loving Life Moore

5. Hunter from Prep on a Budget

6. Kate from Seersucker and Stripes

7. Chelsea from Sweet Peach Couture

8. Taylor Rae from Taylored and Turquoise

9. Dana Ivy from I Adore What I Love

10. The Preppy Sisters

11. Celyn from Style and Chocolates

And as for my questions... 

1. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

2. What trait do you love most about yourself, and how do you feel it contributes to your success as a blogger?

3. Which post of yours thus far has been your favorite post?

4. Why did you decide to start blogging?

5. If one song could describe your life/mood right now, what would it be?

6. How have your friends reacted to your writing a blog?

7. What are your top three favorite blogs?

8. Top three favorite stores?

9. Who's your favorite Gossip Girl character? And if you don't watch GG (watch it PRONTO), what's your favorite TV show?

10. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?

11. What advice would you give to someone just starting up their blog?

xoxo,

Emily