Roots.

They say HOME is where the HEART is. I believe this to hold a vast amount of truth. Although my desire is that my heart be on my heavenly home and Savior, a portion of it certainly resides in my home state, VERMONT.

  
Don’t you agree that we find so much pride and joy in calling something home? When it comes to our city or our state, we feel ownership, right? We proudly wear apparel boasting our zip code, our area code or our latitudinal and longitudinal lines. When someone challenges the greatness of our home, we defend it whether right or wrong. 

Having moved around a fair amount after college, I haven’t stayed long enough in an area to call it home again. Now, with the rapid approach of our baby (Coming in May!) the meaning of home is speaking to me in a new way. My Vermont roots will be mine only, and my baby will be a little Buckeye, born and raised in OHIO. A little product of the 614. I am excited to see how Columbus will shape the life and style of my peanut, as Vermont shaped mine. 

  In honor of my state, and all of yours, I wanted to share these charming necklaces from M.Florita, a Nashville, TN based jewelry designer who specializes in making your city and state, well, SPECIAL. 

I discovered Marrah and her hand-stamped charms while at the Pool Fashion Trade Show in Las Vegas, several weeks ago and when I saw the tiny VT in that adorable little bottle, I couldn’t resist. Of course I wear it proudly in my new home state of OHIO, but I want to tell the world that my roots, my heart, are in VERMONT. 

  
  
 Check out Marrah Florita’s designs at M.Florita Jewelry – and follow her on social media: @mfloritajewelry. Be sure to check out her cityscapes, nameplates and other designs as well! 

XOXO – Chelsea 

Proudly repping Vermont, the good old 802!

Valentine’s Day with Pink Blush

Happy Valentine’s Day! This year is a special one in our house as it’s the first Valentine’s Day with a baby on board. I definitely feel the extra love as my maternal instincts are starting to kick in and I fall deeper into emotions over this little peanut growing inside of me. Today, we celebrate 25 weeks and growing….and I am definitely growing! It makes it a little harder to pick out what to wear every day and at just 5 ft tall I already have enough trouble finding petite sizes that work.

When Pink Blush Maternity reached out with an idea for partnering on a style post, I jumped at it and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this beautiful red chiffon Bell Sleeve Dress. I may have snagged one of the last ones in red, but their Spring colors have just been released and the Aqua and Pink Bell Sleeve Dresses are just gorgeous!

Here are 3 ways I styled it for a Valentine’s Day date.

My favorite photo bomber made his cameo. Gus is 2 years old, handsome as ever, with little ears that don’t work, but a personality that makes up for it all.

I love the slightly scooped back. It’s the extra details that matter so much.

Make the look a little more casual and street chic with a leather bomber. And belt it up to show off that bump!

Effortless Classic. Vintage gold beads & leopard print heels.

The bell sleeves give this dress a little pop and the long sleeves make all the difference when you’re dressing up in snowy weather.

Thank you, Pink Blush Maternity, for the opportunity to style such a lovely piece! And Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

-chelsea

Brunch & Books

A few weeks ago I hosted a “Brunch & Books” with some precious friends. Prior to the mini feast, we all chose a book to read:  Wired That Way by Marita Littauer. Diving into the pages, we set a goal to learn more about ourselves and strengthen one another, then come back to discuss our findings.

If you have ever wanted to understand yourself better, maximize your strengths and improve your relationships, this is a phenomenal read. By understanding how we are wired (what our personalities are), we can enrich our lives and our relationships, we can overcome differences that can seem irreconcilable, and we can work through personal and work relationships that may have seemed so incompatible before that we wanted to call it quits.

It was such a fun morning hosting the girls, discussing our personalities (we are all so different!) and of course, breaking out the fine English China from my Nan along with some delicious treats!

Check out these ham wrapped, baked egg cups from Meghan. YUM!

To accompany the theme of “Books & Brunch”, I set out some other great reads to develop yourself personally, benefit relationships and focus on our dreams and goals. Among the collection:

1. Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
2. Bring out the Best in People by Alan Loy McGinnis
3. The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson
4. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
5. The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino

…as well as several others….

Being that I am a big fan of party favors (and DIY projects) I had to make these watercolor dyed bookmarks with tassels for all the girls to take home with them for their next literary adventure.

I am so thankful for all the girls who participated in this event, we even had ladies conference call in from North Carolina and Colorado, which was a real treat! We broke bread, laughed a lot, shared who we were and who we were becoming, how we related to our spouses, our families, or friends, or co-workers and business partners, and what we were going to do to continue to improve upon these.

Whenever hearts are open and willing to spill out a bit, we can be of so much benefit to others. I appreciate the honesty of these women and cannot wait for the next Book & Brunch.

“…And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure I’ll be there.” (Matthew 18:20 The Message)