T-A-N-G-E-R-I-N-E is giving me liiiiiiiife! Not sure how or why color does this for me, but it dooo. When I pulled this dress on (sadly, it’s sold out, now), I just went to town on the color-blocking route. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Now. I wanna chat about this blogger thing for a sec. My feed (and by feed, I mean Instagram – it’s the only form of social media I do, now. to simplify my life!) is filled with other bloggers I love, and feel inspired by, but sometimes it feels like I’m scrolling through one long stream of ads. Much like Facebook started feeling like to me, which is partly why I signed off on there. I get it, people are making a business out of their blogs, which is great, but I want to make it clear that that’s not why I’m here. Doing my blogging and ‘gramming thing, I mean. Initially, yes, I started the blog thing for my personal styling company, but over time, I realized how much I enjoyed it, and it’s turned into this special, creative space for me to share and express myself a little bit. While I do make an income doing this, it’s not why I’m doing it. I get collaboration inquiries all the time, but I say yes to very few. Not because I’m a snob, but because, like I said before, this space is special to me – a space I truly enjoy. And I want to protect that, so I only feature things I truly love, and partner with brands/designers I believe in, and honestly enjoy working with. I like to keep things simple, and 1,000% genuine, in my world. And I hope that translates.

That said, today I’m featuring two of my favorite mama-friend designers that I love and admire: Anne, who is the ultra-talented handbag designer behind Mari Lassa, and Carrie, who is the creative genius behind her new jewelry company, Jemma Lou Jewelry.

Anne is a mama of two, a dentist (yes, a dentist!!) who has always loved the fashion realm, and began crafting and designing her own handbags, as her way of expressing this passion. She felt inspired to start her own business by her pioneering-spirited, French grandmother, Mari Lassa. I feel honored to feature one of her lovely bags in this post! All of her bags are beautifully handmade, right here in my hometown. She is a stunning beauty inside, and out, and I love seeing her passion for what she does light up in her eyes when speaks about it. A truly inspiring woman, and friend.

Another inspiring lady, and dear friend of mine, is Carrie from Jemma Lou! She is a mama of three cutie-patootie li’l blondies, living in Nashville, and was my wingwoman when I went out on a crazy limb to launch my online personal styling company years and years ago, and her passion, energy, and creativity kept me afloat during those hard years of starting – carving – a new company. Seriously, I often felt like I was carving that company out of stone, using a toothpick. Starting a company be harrrrd wurrrk. Which is why I have the utmost admiration for these women! Takes a lot of courage, time, and physical and mental energy to start a business, run it yourself, and stay passionate about it! And their passion shows. Just take a peek at their pretties I wore to church, recently (white leather tote and tassel earrings – you can message Carrie via her Instagram for these in tons of different colors).

PS. My family and I only look like this on Sundays – we’re usually covered in dirt the rest of the week. Once we’re in our very own home (we’re currently living in my husband’s mother’s house, while we build our’s), I plan to shoot more of our real-er life at home. Debated about doing this, this past year, but felt better waiting until we were in a space that reflected us, and our style, if that makes any sense? I dunno, it’s what we’re doing, anyway….

You can follow them on Instagram via these links: Anne of Mari Lassa and Carrie of Jemma Lou.

Show ’em some love, Lovies! Happy weekend!

xx -Carrie

Stylist + Mum x 4