The Great Gatsby inspired fashionista friday

Channeling inspiration from Carey Mulligan's role in the upcoming movie, The Great Gatsby, I went off to Pinterest to see what would pop up in a search.

Wow. My breath was taken away when I saw these Great Gatsby inspired shoes by Miu Miu

They are absolutely stunning, and while I would have no idea where to wear them...I could definitely see Daisy wearing them with an amazing white dress and cloche hat to an event.

Where would you wear stunning shoes like these?

New Year New Me, Resistance Training Tricep Extensions

I can't believe just how much my upper body is changing from doing a quick 20 mins resistance training circut in the morning before we get going into another busy day. I am thrilled with the results, and what is even more amazing is that others are noticing.

My full routine consists of 20reps of each of the following

Bicep curls
Tricep extensions
Standing row
Torso twist {great for the obliques!}
Lateral pulldowns

Sometimes I throw in an alternating jab, sometimes a bent over row.

I also had a big AHA moment this past week. I was having my headshots for my new BlogHer13 bio cards. It was this moment right here

Sitting in our chic guest room, wearing trendy and beautiful clothes by Kristine Cook, accessories by Amber Bryce, and big blue wedge heels...reading a book to my Bear, who was in his pj's. I had a moment of Wow...I am that trendy home decor expert and artist, and a mom. Both worlds collided and fit together so perfectly.

I honestly could not be happier right now. I look in the mirror and I saw thin, toned legs. I saw my cheekbones and my tiny little waist. I saw...me.

and for once, I liked what I saw.

Principals and Elements of Design...Variety

Time for your monthly dose of art education here on Sweet Stella's! This month, we are talking about the art principle variety.

Defined as....Variety is the quality or state of having different forms or types, notable use of contrast, emphasis, difference in size and color. source 

And visually explained very easily in miniature pieces of art! The use of contrast, and the variations in the actual physical size of the canvases aid in giving the pieces variety.

While fairly monochromatic, this piece does a great job of showing variety. There is contrast in tone and the scale of the piece, as well as movement and variety in line.

I love how this piece embraces variety. There are five different southwest inspired colours in this painting, all of which flow together to create unity and harmony. Line and movement is important in this piece. When these five elements are used in one piece, variety is achieved!

How would you explain the design principle variety?

A Pirates Life for Me

It seems like forever ago that we decided on the theme for our toddlers birthday party. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be revealing elements of the party and talking about how to set up some fun activities for your little swashbucklers!

Today is all about the invitation. Immediately, I went to my super talented graphic designer bloggy BFF Shannon of Baby Shmizz. She started a shop on Etsy, The Baby Noogle, and it is absolutely amazing the thing that she can do with digital design!

How amazing is that?! I threw out piratey term like Swashbuckler, first mate, avast and matey...then she took care of the rest!

Stay tuned! I'll be showing cake inspiration, food table labels and some activities over the next couple of weeks!

Be Memorable with your Marketing Materials

In this months branding exercise, I wanted to talk about being memorable with your marketing material.

TPH Canada has amazing options to ensure that you leave the right impression when you hand over your precious printed marketing materials.

Last summer when I was going to BlogHer in New York City, I wanted to have postcard sized promo cards with a bio on the back, photos of my work and a photo of myself so that when I reached out to bloggers and companies that I had met, they remembered who I was.

Think about what the recipient of your card will see first. For mine, it was the beautiful and intense colors and I received so many amazing compliments about how the colors seemed to jump off the postcard, and make my marketing materials memorable.

It also helps to have a professional photographer working with you on your headshots so that you are presenting your best self. Sure, we can get some great photos with our iPhones and a good timer on our cameras, but only a professional photographer knows the most flattering angles and lighting to ensure that you are presenting your best visual self.

Dress the part! Are you a mom blogger? Crafter? Travel blogger? Get your hair done, spruce up your makeup and have an eyecatching photo of yourself on your card. So many people at BlogHer thought the photo of me standing in a field, covered in paint, was such a true representation of who I am - a messy artist.

Once all of these elements came together and were printed, I was amazed how it all looked. TPH Canada did a phenomenal job at making all of the elements that make me a blogger and artist some together under one brand, on a very beautiful and memorable card.

Think outside the box. What makes you different? How can TPH Canada show off who you are as a person and writer?

Maybe it is a folded business card with a photo and bio on the inside. Perhaps a trifold brochure with social media stats would fit the bill when it comes to networking with companies. Or maybe even a video card that showcases one of your awesome DIY tutorials or vlogs, reserved for only the companies and bloggers that you really, truly want to work with in the near future.

*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. I was not compensated by Hanlon Lain Photography for this post, but do receive my promotional materials as a form of sponsorship from The Printing House.

Product Photography, before and after

You may have noticed a little tab up there that is new, and exciting and fresh and amazing.

Coaching.

Simply put, I am helping women see their inner strength, beauty and worth. I have found that there is no point in working on marketing yourself as a writer, blogger, brand ambassador, artist, business person until you truly believe in yourself and have the confidence to stand up for you and be the voice behind your brand.

For the past couple of months, I have been working with Kimberly of Kimberly & Co. We've taken her branding from home-craft-show-hobby to chic-trendy-accessories-boutique, and one of the biggest aspects of a successful transition to the latter is professional photography

Before, alot of dark at home photography. I find alot of handmade vendors {even me when I first started out!} take pictures of heir items on their kitchen tables, floors, a crumpled backdrop. I used to do it with a white bedsheet behind and thought that the wrinkled fabric looked artistic. Wrong-o!

After - see the difference  This is Etsy front page material and I am so thrilled for Kimberly to have taken this step with her shop. It's fresh and clean. The backdrop is simple and white and shows her products beauty before anything else.

Next we are working on at-home photography. It's one thing to work with a fabulous photographer like Hanlon Lain Photography, but another to take quick photos at home to get your items up in your shop immediately to be shared with all of your customers!

Stay tuned for our tips and tricks, and to stay up to date on Kimberly's business transformation!

Fashionista Friday: Beach Bags by Tina Dean Designs

Yes...I'm dreaming of days at the beach this week. Baby Shmizz and I are so fortunate to have Tina Dean Designs working on some amazing handbags for us for BlogHer13 this year, and I am really excited about my custom unlined tote bag, with braided rope like handles.

I had a very abstract idea when I talked to Tina about needing a tote bag that I could toss my stuff in, but also use for trips to the beach, for my art supplies and quick shopping trips to the grocery store.

As always, she didn't disappoint and took my abstract vision to the next level. Tina knows that I have a special place in my heart for all things nautical, and wanted to be sure to incorporate that into my tote bag. The handles with the knots are perfect and I absolutely love how she created them {yes....she made the handles from scratch!}

I am really excited about this bag for BlogHer13 and cannot wait to show it off in person! An ecofriendly handbag for every day!

Disclaimer: I received this tote bag as compensation for helping promoted Tina Dean Designs' wonderful line of upcycled and ecofriendly handbags. All views and opinions expressed are my own.