04 October 2020

Autumn Vibes

Happy Sunday! 

One of my favorite seasons is fall. Particularly, for the weather! It’s not too hot, not too cold. However, my favorite thing about the season is being able to maximize my wardrobe. I absolutely love this transition period when I’m able to take summer pieces and wear them in the fall by adding layers. 

Follow these steps below for easy ways this to maximize your summer pieces for the fall: 


1. Step one: You always want to start with a basic piece. For example, I started with one of my favorite black dresses. This is one of my staple transition pieces.





2. Step two: Add additional layers. This layer can be a scarf or jacket. This will give you the flexibility to stay warm or cool off.  I added a long cardigan with nice neutral tones. It was kind of cool I’m the morning (high 50s), but wanted up later. I was able to take the cardigan off when it was too hot and add it again later when I got too cold. 






3. Step three: To complete the look, accessorize. You can do this by adding statement jewelry pieces, hats, and/or handbags. For my look, I added neutral colored earrings that I picked up from my cousin that sells paparazzi. I enjoy shopping for cute statement earrings. They make any basic outfit pop! (See https://paparazziaccessories.com/208612/ )






I enjoyed adding one layer (cannot wait to add more as the weather changes!) My first day back in church was warm and stylish without having to buy any new items 😊 











What I Wore: 

Dress Target | Cardigan Target | Shoes Christian Louboutin | Earrings Paparazzi 


How do you maximize your closet for fall? Let me know below in the comments.


Xoxo, 


Courtney 💕

23 September 2020

2020 Vision

Happy Wednesday! 

2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for us all! One thing I've noticed is that planning and manifesting your goals is still possible, even during a time such as this. You MUST believe  it, pray for it and go make it happen! 

At the beginning of this year, I made a vision board. I always try to keep a list of goals for myself in my note section with a place to check them off. However, being able to see them come to life, creatively was something I truly enjoyed. I love being able to visualize the things I normally just write down. I guess I’m old school, wanting to have everything on paper. 

At some point closer to the end of the year, I love to reevaluate my goals just to see how far I've come, make necessary adjustments, and remind myself that I still have time to accomplish more. This time I decided to make a new vision board since this year was a little different. There were some goals that become more important than others. For example, I originally wanted to focus on working, saving money, etc. However, COVID made me realize that my mental health was far more important than any of those things. My new goals shifted more towards self care and self love. 

Sooooo... I went downtown with a blanket, magazines, a few of my girls & started planning, praying and manifesting! This happened to be way more therapeutic than I thought. The words, phrases & pics that jumped out at me had me dreaming big this day! 

I decided to wear a comfy outfit to be able to fully relax while making this board. See below: 









What I wore:

Hat: Forever 21 | Top: Kohl’s | Shorts: Target | Shoes: Gucci


  • Vision board, January 2020 




  • Vision board, September 2020 



✨✨Small disclaimer: making a vision board will not be a secret genie or magic for you that will make all your dreams come true. To me, it’s simply a visual for you to remember all the things you say you want for yourself and a reminder to work hard to achieve them. Anything you want, you have to put your mind to & work hard! 

Did you make a vision board this year? If not, it isn’t too late! 

Xoxo, 

Courtney 💕


04 August 2020

Friendship X Self-Care

Happy Tuesday!

I feel like a broken record sharing about my recent journey. However, I'm a firm believer that once you overcome something, your purpose for that journey is to teach people that are going through that very struggle, how to overcome! 

One of the things I did to dig deep was to practice more self-care/self-love. A lot of times we are giving so much to our loved ones and others while neglecting ourselves. Self-care is one form of recharging so that one is able to continue giving back to the people around them.  I believe there's levels to that recharge. These levels include: physical, emotional, mental and social. 

At one point, I put all forms of self-care on the back burner when I was going through my struggles.  I still remember staying in bed and sleeping in the dark. I never forgot the friend that refused to take "no" for an answer when I wanted stay in the house and do nothing. I consider spending time with friends as one of the greatest forms of self-care now that I'm older since so much of my growth included me isolating. Friendship helped save me from myself! 

Last weekend, my self-care social level included spending time with the people I love. This is more important than you think. Friendships usually guarantee a celebration for the good times and support through the bad. 

One of my friends celebrated her birthday and I couldn't miss this opportunity to recharge. 

See below for outfit details:
 
 




 
What I Wore: 
Top Arden B | Bottoms Target | Scarf Louis Vuitton 

How do you recharge socially??

Xoxo, 

Courtney

25 July 2020

Pay Attention to the Signs



Dress Macy's | Shoes Jennifer Le | Bag Target 


Hey everyone, 

"It's always up to you to find beauty in the ugliest days!" This quote was right on time for me! I have been one of those people that tries their best to "pay attention to the signs" whenever possible lately. For example, I saw this quote and really decided to dig deep.

In all honesty, I was really having a hard time adjusting to everything going on in the world right now. However, seeing this quote knocked my senses right back into place! I had been turned off completely from blogging during this pandemic. I was focused too much on what I "couldn't do" instead of the paying attention to the things right in front of me. "I can't even do this!" "I can't even do that!" I focused too much on the negative things going on instead of focusing on the positive things. 

I celebrated my 29th birthday two weeks ago after coming across this quote. Since I try to pay attention to the signs, I decided that I should write down the affirmations that my friends/family surprised me with as decorations. I copied them onto sticky notes and say them daily just to make sure "I'm finding beauty in these ugly days." Doing so made me feel a little more positive than I've felt during this time. See the affirmations below:


Birthday affirmations: 

1. I am worthy.
2. I am becoming more confident every day.
3. My possibilities are endless. 
4. I am proud of myself. 
5. I believe in myself everyday.
6. I am in love with myself and my body. 
7. I am doing my best.
8. I am brave bold and beautiful. 
9. I am talented and intelligent. 
10. I chose to be happy and love myself today. 


Let me know below if you state affirmations or the things you do to find beauty in the ugliest days? 

Xoxo, 

Courtney 
08 February 2020

2019 Flashbacks

Happy Saturday!

Since I've been back, I reflected a lot on my life's journey. Now I'd like to reflect on my favorite outfits during that journey. 

Look #1: Valentine's Day 2019


For Valentine's Day, I had class. I decided to go for a comfortable red sweater. My family called me on the way home and asked me to join them for karaoke which ended up being a great night! I randomly found these shoes in my trunk and swapped them out for my uggs that I wore to class. Some outfits really just randomly happen! :)

What I Wore: 
Top Target | Bottoms JCPenney | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #2: Family Time 


It's no secret that one of my favorite things to do is enjoy time with my family. Fun Fact- I actually became a caregiver to my grandmother 2018-present. I try to have an outing for us when we can to give us a break from all the doctors appointments she has (including dialysis) and school work for me. Family is a mutual happy place for us both. As I always say, if you can look good for your friends, you can look good for your family too! :)


I love a good mixed print outfit! Here a chose polka dot print with leopard print and I absolutely LOVED it :)

What I Wore: 
Top Inc Macy's (stolen from my mom) lol | Bottom FashionNova  | Shoes Tory Burch

Look #3: Dinner on a Cruise 


I was so fortunate to be able to spend quality time celebrating one of my best friends on her journey to marriage. What better way to celebrate than to take a cruise?? So it was only right that a packed fun cute outfits :)

What I Wore: 
Top Boutique in the mall | Joggers Boohoo | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #4: My Birthday Look 


If you know anything about me, then you know how obsessed with birthdays! I will not leave out for much, but if there's a birthday to be celebrated, especially mine, I'm always down! For this look, I stumbled across it. I actually bought a matching set from boohoo.com and didn't receive the top :( So I tried on this top and feel completely in love! "Everything happens for a reason" was such a true statement for this outfit. If the top came, I probably would've worn it a different way!

What I Wore: 
Top Pretty Little Thing | Bottom Boohoo | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #5: Dinner with my Mom


I'm my mother's number one fan! I admire everything about her, especially her upcoming clothing brand (Infinity Faith). I love everything her brand represents. It's a reminder that with faith, you can go places! I know it's cheesy and cliche to wear her hoodies/t-shirts when I hang out with her, but I do lol! I had so much fun with this look! I added shorts ($4 on sale!!!!), fishnets & vans for the perfect fall night look. Fun Fact- you get the best bargain for shorts at the end of summer!

What I Wore: 
Hoodie Infinity Faith (coming soon) | Shorts Macy's | Shoes Vans | Tights Party City

Look #6: Random Girl's Night 


Love a random girl's night! I obviously was lazy once again with my fall look inspiration. I borrowed the hoodie/fishnets look from a previous look. Turned out super cute and comfy :)

What I Wore: 
Dress Amazon | Tights Party City | Shoes DSW

Look #7: Celebrating my Sister's Birthday 


One of my favorite looks EVER!!!


I did a thing. This year for me was all about letting go. This outfit definitely showed that! Who cares what others think, wear it if it makes you feel great. Soooooo yup I ordered a swimsuit coverup and wore it as an outfit. The way I felt wearing it is indescribable and a night I will always remember! It was definitely a turning point in my confidence.


What I Wore: 
Blazer Target | Bottoms Amazon | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #8: Celebrating Scorpio Season 


Honestly, I just wanted to wear this dress so bad! Orange is one of my favorite colors to wear. It was perfect to throw on for a birthday dinner for my favorite girl :)

What I Wore: 
Dress JLUX Label | Shoes Lola Shoetique

That's all folks! 

Xoxo, 

Courtney <3

04 February 2020

Breaking Point

Hi Loves,

My first post of 2020! Happy New Year!

I know I'm super late, but my absence was necessary in order for me to grow. Normally people (including myself) are screaming, "New year, same me!" But this year, it was different then that. I'm actually different and I'm loving it!

I went on a deep journey to truly healing that required me to isolate from everything and everyone. Although I shed many, MANY tears, some of joy and some for sadness, I grew and developed a better person. 

I knew I was feeling better when I wanted to go out for the NYE celebration! I even DIY'd my outfit.

I used: Boa, scissors, an old dress, and a glue gun.

Before:




After:



What I Wore: 
Dress Bebe | Boa Michaels | Shoes Lola Shoetique


Below are a some of the lessons I learned on my journey to discovering my best self: 
  • Can't do anything without putting God first! 
My biggest accomplishment over the last year was getting a better relationship with God. Man 2014 was the hardest year I've ever had in life (so I thought!) Then 2018-2019 came and really took things to a whole different level! I did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. Sometimes you have to reevaluate the way you do things. I was doing things without God. 

The moment I bought myself a journal, I promised to pray before I did anything! It helped me soooooo much. 

You can't even find your keys without God. lol For example, I misplaced my mother's keys and angrily searched for them for over an hour. As soon as I prayed and said "Amen," I immediately found they keys! 
  • You can't help others if you can't help yourself! 
This is a biggy for me. Lord knows I struggled a very long time with this, but I'm working on it! This year I worked hard with putting myself first. I felt like I was able to do more for others by taking care of me. You have to be selfish to be selfless. If I reach my goals, then I'm able to give back and help other people later in the world.
  1. Know your worth. 
  2. BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES! Learned to say no or yes when necessary. 
  • Being a victim is the WORST THING EVER! 
Having a victim mentality is something that can really hold you back! I had this mindset for so long and it was incredibly hard to get over it. I always blamed other people for EVERYTHING. After digging deep I learned about accountability. I started living by this: "When you point your finger at others, there's more pointing back at you!"

If you are accountable for actions, then you are able to come up with solutions. Without accountability, you are only able to focus on the problem. You will forever be stuck! You'll always be one to focus on the problem, rather than the solution.

  • Your breaking point is the first point of finding the real you! 
I learned about the importance of reaching your breaking point. The things that were meant to break me, actually lead me to my strength. At some point we all must stop feeling sorry for ourselves and really start loving ourselves. I seriously stayed in the house for days, I cried, started going out for drinks again, welcomed people that had already served their purpose in my life to come back, the list goes on. I started to feel stuck and that this repeated cycle would NEVER end. I eventually hit rock bottom. I couldn't get out of the bed some days, lost all motivation, etc After a few months went by, I realized rock bottom wasn't so bad because it was only up from there! For me, rock bottom was actually my biggest blessing. It's the beginning of me falling in love with myself and my life all over again!

So now I can proudly say, "New Year, New Me!"

What are some of the lessons you learned over the last year??

Xoxo,

Courtney :)