Jan 29, 2014 | Life, Media
As I posted on Facebook earlier today, yesterday we wrapped a full day’s shoot for this amazing promotional video project I’ve been working on. Since mid-December it’s been in pre-production, all in order to showcase this fun and FABULOUS watch brand to a fashion-loving audience. I can’t WAIT to share the finished product with all of you! Yesterday was like clockwork: we had the best crew ever (we’re talking serious film credits here), the GORGEOUS and talented Meredith Adelaide as our actress, a beautiful location just on the edge of the Pearl District, and our Production Designer who whipped a blank slate into a fully-furnished room in just over an hour.
I was posting updates on Instagram throughout the day – you can check some behind-the-scenes sneak peeks out here. What could be better than gorgeous fashion, a fun day shoot, a talented and upbeat crew, and Modify Watches, the BEST COMPANY EVER to partner with to do all this??!
Just look at those colors!! Go Modify!!
Stay tuned for the finished video, coming up soon!
xo
Carly
Jan 24, 2014 | Life
Bright, saturated colors and pretty pastels are dominating Spring trends for 2014. But after a few wears and washes, color fades, stains proliferate, and suddenly your beautiful pieces no longer have the same original luster. (There’s nothing less chic than old, faded, dingy-looking outfits.) How do you keep your clothing in the same chic condition as when it was new?
It’s actually quite easy to keep your favorite items bright and beautiful with an ounce of prevention. Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster Packs use the power of hydrogen peroxide-not bleach-to keep colors looking vibrant with every wash. To keep your colored clothing looking bright long past its first wear:
- Add 1 pack of Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster per load of laundry. (For large or extra-dirty loads use 2 packs.)
- Then add your favorite detergent and launder as usual!
- Before sticking your clothes in the dryer, make sure there are no remaining stains (since heat-drying can make stains permanent). If there are any stains…
The Clorox2® Pre-treat Stain Remover Pen helps to pre-treat and eradicate stains in an easy pen-like applicator. Here’s how:
- For tough stains, like wine coffee and grass, be sure to pre-treat. First, remove the garment: do not treat clothing while wearing it.
- Remove all loose dirt from the fabric and blot wet stains with a clean absorbent cloth.
- Squeeze the pen and apply liberally onto stain. Rub it in with the pen tip to cover the stain completely and replace cap when done.
- Wait 10 minutes, and then wash immediately with an all- or mostly all-colors load.
Whether you’re at home or on the go, the Clorox® myStain™ App for iPhone, iPad, and Android can give you tips and tricks to remove tough stains if you find yourself in a bind. (It’s always deodorant stains or chocolate stains that confound me!) I also want to make sure that every penny I sink into a clothing purchase, or time spent in a DIY, is worth it in the long run and that I can get a ton of use out of every piece in my wardrobe. How to keep items in your closet and in regular rotation as long as possible? Prevent color fading, and attack stains as soon as they occur!
Do you have any strategies for keeping your clothes clean and stain-free?
xo
Carly
App image source
FTC Disclosure: I received a cardigan, a Clorox Stain Remover Pen, and Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster Pack for review purposes from Clorox. I have received no monetary compensation for this post. The above opinions are my own. To read my full Disclosure Policy, click here.
Jan 14, 2014 | Fashion, Life
With Winter still lingering and the high-necked and turtleneck top still on-trend, I came across this helpful photo from ShopBop. I’m always at a loss when it comes to how to style these things, and I love how clearly it’s all laid out.
How about you – how would YOU style a high-necked top?
xo
Carly
Image source
Jan 4, 2014 | Life
I would have loved to roll this post out while everyone (including me!) was still in the planning stage for their Resolutions, but, alas, an Internet issue has delayed this post. But it’s never too late!
Some of you may have already made your Resolutions for 2014 – and others may still be deciding (the old ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’ question). After all, how many Resolutions have we been able to keep in the past?
I think there’s a distinct reason why Resolutions are so hard to keep – and why the concept of endeavors spanning a year are so difficult to visualize to fruition. Here’s how to make good Resolutions – and set yourself up for success! – in keeping them:
1. Don’t Focus on the Whole Year – Split It Into Parts
12 months is a huge timespan to consider, and resolve inevitably fades after a month or so. Why not split your year down into manageable sections? The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months
by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington advocates this approach in order to concentrate focus and productivity. It’s an excellent book on the piecemeal approach to planning for the long-term, and I highly recommend it in order to help you achieve your Resolution goals. Split up your year into 4 quarters, focus on separate goals during each quarter, reassess as you go, and the whole year of a Better You is way more doable.
2. Don’t Make Too Many Resolutions – Stick to 5 or Less Per Quarter
Again, a hallmark of productivity advice is to not self-sabotage from the outset by focusing on too much. Even with a shorter timespan to focus on, you can still put way too much on your plate by trying to tackle 10 or 20 goals. Pick 5 -3 goals (the fewer, the better!) with which you want to start out in order to maximize your results.
3. Make Your Resolutions Quantitative and Measurable
Don’t write down “Be more thoughtful to my Grandma” or “Get healthy”…be specific! How will you be nice to Grandma – what will you do? Write a letter every two weeks? Send impromptu flowers? What does “Get healthy” mean to you? Is it “drink no soda”? “Limit coffee to 1x per week”? “Walk 5000 steps per day”? Make it as specific as possible so you can measure your progress and make sure you are achieving the overall goal.
4. Create a String of Unbroken X’s
A common motivator is to have a physical calendar with your daily goals on it, and draw a big X on each day that you hit your 5000 steps, post a blog post, don’t spend any money, take the dog for a walk, etc. The visual chain of X’s that you create when you repeat these actions day after day, week after week, will help motivate you to keep going so as not to break the chain.
5. Create Regular Check-Ins For Yourself
Designate a day of the week, each week, and a day of the month, each month, to check your progress. Are you hitting your daily, weekly, monthly goals? If not, step back and assess. What can you change, how can you help yourself achieve what you want? Set aside 5-10 minutes at least to reflect and recalibrate in order to better tackle your Resolutions.
6. Create Motivators and Rewards for Yourself
Accountability is a huge part of achieving goals – as is rewarding yourself. Schedule in a fun experience, shopping treat, time with your friends, whatever motivates you as a reward for all your hard work. (These rewards have to be motivating enough to keep you going when the going gets rough – and help you put down that donut, refuse that drink, do an extra set of dumbbell curls…when you really, really would rather not. Plus, those rewards can’t be such that they undo all your hard work and set you back into the habits you are trying to change: i.e., a shopping binge for someone trying to curtail spending for example.)
7. Remember It Takes Time
It is said that to change any habit permanently you need a minimum of 21 days. Each time you do not indulge in that habit, you create new neural pathways that reinforce good habits. But the slope is slippery – and it’s very easy to fall back into old ways. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up and decide to throw in the towel. It’s just one day – so what? Get back on that horse, back in the saddle, and keep going. That is the hallmark of a true goal-getter – and someone who will be keeping those Resolutions this year at last.
xo
Carly
Images source: here, here, here, here, here, here, here
Jan 2, 2014 | DIY, Life
Another year has gone by, and now it’s time to do my yearly wrap-up of content. (This was supposed to post New Year’s Eve, but my home router is broken, so I had to write this at my local Starbucks, using their wi-fi. Thanks, Starbucks!!)
Every year on New Year’s Eve I republish a list of all my DIY’s that I shared on this blog during the past year. Just like last year, I decided to do a Best Of list as well, to share some of my favorite content from this past year with you: (more…)
I couldn’t resist posting this amazing, inspirational list from 
