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Have you ever been around people who just radiate joy? People who light up a room with their smile? People that you’d like to carry around in your back pocket?
I’ve met people like that throughout my life, but never have I met so many joy-filled people in one place.
Friends, welcome to the Hizzy.
It’s what lovingly calls their warehouse, and let me tell you — #hizzylife is where it’s at. As you may know, I had the opportunity to visit StitchFix headquarters and warehouse, and I’ve shared a few photo snippets of my time with — and told you a little bit about
Well today, I’m going to tell you a little more about what makes StitchFix so special, — or give! — and then in the spirit of giving, I’m going to give away some of my credit to 2 of you!
Let’s play a game, shall we? Remember those picture games, where you pick out what is similar and what is different? You know, like in the Highlights magazines at the dentist. “Find 10 things that are different about these two drawings.” Today, I’d like you to find the common thread in these photos. Ready? Go.
Do you see that joy? Yup. Pretty difficult to ignore, eh? It is also completely contagious, and all of us caught it pretty bad while we were there.
{Did you also happen to see the giant robot made of boxes? Harlow saw that photo and yelled “mommy!!! A ROBOT!!!!” in my ear so loudly it’s still ringing.}
Because y’all they build robots from boxes, play awesome music, laugh a lot, challenge chatterboxes to not speak for a day — and they do all of this while taking incredible pride in the work that they do for all of us ‘fixers.
{They even humor crazy nordic-blondes when said blonde challenges a few of them to a fold-off. Y’all. We should all start taking photos of our folded fixes before we dive into trying them on — these folding artists are off the charts.}
You see that gorgeous gal on the right? That’s UhOh, as I like to call her, Sharon is what she goes by, and she is the Hizzy Boss Sauce, Leader Extraordinaire, and Most Joyful of Joy Givers in All the Land. I know, I’m a total dork, but seriously — I miss these people!
We had the chance to walk around and meet every team at the Hizzy and learn about what they do. Everything and everyone worked as such a cohesive team, it was incredible to see every piece involved in a Fix getting out the door! One thing I noticed right away was how well spoken everyone was, what pride they had in their work, and how much they loved sharing all the little aspects of what they do with us.
It all boils down to this:
When you open your Fix and instantly feel like someone took the utmost care to pack a box of gorgeous clothes just for you… if you feel as if someone took time with each step, making sure it feel specials and unique each and every time you open that box. If you feel like there is love and joy just oozing out of your Fixes each time you pull back the flaps….
You. Are. Right.
I wish you all could see the love and care that goes into your fixes first hand. I wish you all could see how much the StitchFix team at HQ and the Hizzy care about each and every one of you. Hopefully you are able to see a small glimpse of it through these photos! In my dream world, I would grab a videography team and walk through StitchFix HQ and Hizzy interviewing each employee and sharing this very special company with you all even more. But until then, I’ll share with you a few additional things!
If you realized you still need a few last minute gifts or you don’t know what to ask for — Ask for a StitchFix Giftcard. Leave the styling up to the experts — give the gift of an expert stylist to someone you love!
In case you were wondering, the joy doesn’t start or stop at the Hizzy. HQ, StitchFix’s Headquarters, is full of another amazingly joyful, caring and hardworking team. See? 
And now? Let’s give some love away!
Because I want to pass along the joy of , I’m giving away $50 credit to TWO of you from my StitchFix credit. Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
xo.
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Gratitude… goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.
{Henri J. M. Nouwen}
This year I am finding so much to be thankful for. I am also able to quickly list things I wish were on my thankful list — small things, big things, but things that so easily have me slipping down grass is greener elsewhere slope.
This year I want to begin the practice of gratitude as a discipline — not waiting for the natural start of the new year, but beginning now. I am not sure what it will look like–I tend to overthink things and want everything to pretty and unique–but I want to keep it simple. I don’t want to make this discipline something that I talk myself out of or put off because I don’t have it all figured out.
So today I’m celebrating with joy the things that are easy to be joyful about, and I’m also choosing to celebrate the things that aren’t. I’m praying that I am different because of them, more like Him through them, and able to see His hand when I look back on them.
Find reasons to smile today. Find small things to be thankful for. Look for tiny blessings — allow yourself to be overwhelmed with gratitude and joy today. Be selfless. Be loving. Be grateful.
xo.
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Oh. Monday.
Last night, Andy was husband and daddy of the year when he pushed me out the door to see Catching Fire. (I went ahead and linked that for you, just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock. :) I kid. I kid.
The movie was ah-mazing. The temperature when I stepped out of the theatre, however, was not. Bleh. I’m not ready for 20° days! Excuse me while I go throw a tantrum about it.
Okay. So since I’m feeling extra witty and giddy about this soundtrack, and I’m feeling extra blah about it being Monday and frigid — how about guessing which piece I kept from my latest ? I know. You’re on pins and needles, jumping up and down exclaiming, “my most favorite thing ever!” Just what you wanted to do on a Monday.
Let’s just get to it, before I embarrass myself further.
Rachel and I thought it would be fun to snap a few photos when my last arrived. We documented four items, and I’m realizing that I’m beyond picky–I only kept one. I am always apologizing to my stylist — sorry, Mammy!! — but after seeing these photos, I kind of wish I’d kept all four of these items from my .
What do you think? What would you have kept? And what do you think I kept?
A || Gareth Open Draped Sweater Jacket
B || Jemdy Striped Dolman Sleeve Jersey Top
C || Sanya Cut-Out Sueded Short Sleeve Top
D || Wilbert Bootcut Jean
So what do you think?
Or do you agree and think you know which one it was?
xo.
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I cannot wait to share more about my time in San Francisco with . I had never before been, but I’m already planning family vacations there. Annnnnnd maybe looking for jobs for Andy out there too. :o) I’m kidding… kinda. I just couldn’t believe how quickly I fell in love with the city! The mild climate, the walking culture, the friendly atmosphere — I was sold. We would probably have to sell everything we own to even rent an apartment….but I sure loved it!
I will be sharing a lot more about my time with very soon, but I couldn’t resist sharing some of the photos snapped with my phone. I will also some awesome ways to ask for and give this Christmas and holiday season!
Rae // moi // Jenna // //
H O M E
xo
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Two AMAZING giveaways this week! I’m really quite ecstatic to get to share them with you! I have a ton of information for you today, so hang in there!
When Minted contacted me about taking a sneak peek at their Christmas and holiday designs, I answered with a big, fat, YES please! I’ve loved their designs for sometime — their structure allows independent artists to design and make royalties from their designs. Minted does the heavy lifting: the shopping experience, the ordering, the printing, the addressing {yes, it’s true!}… they make it so fun and easy to do. Well easy after you decide which one to customize: there are so many amazing designs to choose from!
So. I want to share a few things that I love about Minted. I debated ordering and sharing our Christmas cards early, so I could share them with you …. but it felt a little too early! I know I’m still disrespecting the turkey a little bit, but at least I’ve waited until November– I’ve respected the pumpkin, at least! I will, however, show you a few of the photos we didn’t choose for our card this year — that was another tough decision! Rachel hit it out of the park with these photos.
Don’t have any photos to use this season? Minted has a TON of gorgeous photo-free cards available too! In the market for wedding invites or baby announcements? They have those too!
Let me begin with the love-fest….shall we? {Hang in there — there is a giveaway at the end of it all!}
8| Unique and fresh designs.
Minted, as I mentioned before, works with designers to create an incredible collection of designs for every occasion. Want to customize further? You can make additional requests as well.
7| Paper Quality
Each year, I pack away the cards and photos we receive. Quality cards that keep well are important to me! I love that Minted takes pride in the paper they print on — acid free and durable. You can upgrade and choose from many weights, textures, and cuts.
6| Foiling
New this year! You now have the option of selecting real silver or gold foil pressed onto your card! I received a few samples and it is gorgeous in person. The quality of the foil — and my love for everything gold right now — might just mean that you’ll be seeing some bling on our cards this year. :)
5| Too many photos?
If you have too many photos and you just can’t pick a few, now you can order Minibooks! I absolutely LOVE these! Each Minibook has 7 pages of photos and/or text!
4| Creative photo displays.
Not ready to commit to 7 pages, but have a few photos to share? Choose a folded card when selecting your design, and add more photos and text inside!
3| Tired of boring shapes?
Scalloped edges, decorative corners, and ornaments are a few of the fun shapes to choose from.
2| See what your photos look like on the designs!
Using the Find it Fast feature, you can see your photos on the designs. I loved being able to rule out some designs and favorite others, just by scrolling through! You can tweak, zoom, and move your photo as you are finalizing your design, but this feature is awesome for trimming back your favorites list!
1| And my favorite: you don’t even have to address your envelopes
Yup. You read that right. Gather your addresses and import to Minted. Receive your cards, add postage…and send!
This last photo? I just wanted to prove to you what dorks we really are — just in case you were doubting that fact.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
xo.
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This past weekend, I hopped on a plane to Houston for Quilt Market. I was nervous and had no idea what to expect.
I cam home exhausted, but encouraged. Super exhausted. Super encouraged. The Brother™ ScanNCut booth was crazytown the entire time: it was awesome to see such interest and awe as we demoed the machine! My voice was gonezo by the time Monday rolled around! I got to hug this beautiful gal and this lovely lady, so I was a happy camper.
My first day of Market, I received so many comments on my newest dress. I came back to my room that evening, and I realized that I had packed an entire weekend of Stitch Fix. I didn’t plan it, but when I grab my favorites to bring … my pieces usually come out on top! I love how well they know my sense of style, push me to try new things, and provide me with unique items that not everyone has. I love classic items, with a unique twist!
I thought it would be fun to document my weekend of StitchFix with some hotel bathroom selfies. #sorrynotsorry
bag // necklace // // belt // ring from my awesome husband
:)
See? I told you I was obsessed!
{see more StitchFix // learn more here // }
Okay. Enough of the selfies. #awkward
Let’s just talk about a few other things I’ve been obsessing over as of late….
Leather camera straps. I can’t decide if I want to try to make one or bite the bullet and get one! Which one do you like? Or have any to recommend?
. Yes. You read that right. Kate recommended I use them when I complained to her about the humidity and my hair — and now I can’t stop!
My red leather bag. So Lily Jade said they would give 10 of you $125 credit … have you entered yet!?
Patterns. You will be able to buy patterns for many of my designs…before Thanksgiving! I’m giving myself a deadline, because I’ve been putting it off to keep designing new patterns! Stay on me — don’t let me let you all down!
The Music Man. I’m not quite sure how to describe how obsessed Harlow is with The Music Man. It was a movie I grew up watching and loving, so I downloaded it for the iPad a few road trips back. She loved it right away — she even would cry and ask for “the man” when he wasn’t in the scene she was watching. Yes. I know I should be worried. Well, I didn’t realize just how much she knew of the music and words until I played the soundtrack a few days ago… I should warn you ahead of time that this movie probably won’t be the last…. y’all. I was in stitches yesterday watching her sing “Goodnight my Someone,” complete with eyes closed and hand motions. I can’t make this stuff up!
Happy Wednesday! Don’t forget about the amazing giveaway!
xo.
