While my initial inventory was without any obvious Mommy & Me matchups, I fell in love with these adorable combinations that I put together for a recent hostess event.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Aloha!
I just adore LuLaRoe's fun, themed prints. Here are some great spring sets featuring Madison (an adorable knee-length skirt with pleats and pockets!) and kid (pineapple!!!) leggings and adult Tall / Curvy palm tree leggings.
While Mommy & Me or other matched sets can be challenging to come by due to production caps (2,500 pieces per pattern) and a growing consultant pool (now over 8,000!), LuLaRoe encourages--and seriously enables--pattern mixing, resulting in potential for wildly awesome, adorable themed sets.
While my initial inventory was without any obvious Mommy & Me matchups, I fell in love with these adorable combinations that I put together for a recent hostess event.
Lots of AWESOME possibility -- and I love never knowing which sets guests may pick. The floral combination on top sold right away at my last event. :)
While my initial inventory was without any obvious Mommy & Me matchups, I fell in love with these adorable combinations that I put together for a recent hostess event.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Fashion of the day...
...Just one more thing I love about my LuLaRoe Boutique. When I decided to take the plunge and become a consultant, I was excited about first dibs on box-upon-box of potential "unicorns", clothing my family and friends in my absolute favorite brand, being part of a company with corporate values that mirror my personal values, and hopefully contributing to the family income. I enjoy organizing things and I enjoy busy work that keeps me distracted, especially when the Air Force calls Matt away.
One thing I did not expect was how much of myself I would be able to pour into my shop. I love that I am able to build a boutique that I feel is reflective of who I am and that I can use as a means to do pour positivity into the world. I am so excited to have already booked one charity event--with #2 & #3 also in the works. I also love having a fun hobby that I am able to delve into with my mother. She is in town to help with my pre-launch string of Pop-Ups and we spend about half of each day brainstorming fun marketing strategies and ways to spread the LuLaLove.
Our newest idea is to feature a daily fashion -- 1 unique piece (a singular print in a singular style) worn 2-3 different ways, that is available for immediate purchase (outside the normal Pop-Up/scheduled sale venue). Today's teal & white Maxi sold within a couple hours of posting. I'm including a sneak peak of tomorrow's Julia: worn dress, tunic, and cowgirl style. I love the idea of giving LuLaRoe fans something exciting to look forward to each morning -- and I love dressing up Miss Mary Figginbottom, my mannequin. Please check out Facebook: LuLaRoe Kristen Caluag for daily inspiration -- and shopping!
One thing I did not expect was how much of myself I would be able to pour into my shop. I love that I am able to build a boutique that I feel is reflective of who I am and that I can use as a means to do pour positivity into the world. I am so excited to have already booked one charity event--with #2 & #3 also in the works. I also love having a fun hobby that I am able to delve into with my mother. She is in town to help with my pre-launch string of Pop-Ups and we spend about half of each day brainstorming fun marketing strategies and ways to spread the LuLaLove.
Our newest idea is to feature a daily fashion -- 1 unique piece (a singular print in a singular style) worn 2-3 different ways, that is available for immediate purchase (outside the normal Pop-Up/scheduled sale venue). Today's teal & white Maxi sold within a couple hours of posting. I'm including a sneak peak of tomorrow's Julia: worn dress, tunic, and cowgirl style. I love the idea of giving LuLaRoe fans something exciting to look forward to each morning -- and I love dressing up Miss Mary Figginbottom, my mannequin. Please check out Facebook: LuLaRoe Kristen Caluag for daily inspiration -- and shopping!
Cheers!
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Behind the scenes
As we await the arrival of our LuLaRoe goodies (Monday!), the kids and I have been setting up shop in our 2nd floor, in-home Boutique. Here are some fun snapshots capturing our adventures.
My older two testing out the photography backdrop.
We are kicking off my business with an exciting name-the-mannequin legging giveaway! I am loving all the ideas coming in and glad it is my daughters who will be judging -- I wouldn't be able to pick just three!
On the agenda for this weekend: clothing racks and wall decals! Oh, and homework. Lots of homework. I want to be able to dive completely into clothing organization and photography come Monday, so I have a lot to knock out today and tomorrow for my Nurse Practitioner school. Good thing I like to stay busy!! :)
We are kicking off my business with an exciting name-the-mannequin legging giveaway! I am loving all the ideas coming in and glad it is my daughters who will be judging -- I wouldn't be able to pick just three!
Our 3-way over-the-door full-length mirror. Seems like an awesome option for pop-ups in terms of portability and ability to showcase these cute pieces from every angle! Gotta love Amazon!
On the agenda for this weekend: clothing racks and wall decals! Oh, and homework. Lots of homework. I want to be able to dive completely into clothing organization and photography come Monday, so I have a lot to knock out today and tomorrow for my Nurse Practitioner school. Good thing I like to stay busy!! :)
Sunday, January 31, 2016
"No, but...
I'm hot. My dress is itchy. & I have the hiccups."
Anyone who knows Hana knows those are 3 sentences you do *not* want to hear her say moments before she glides down the aisle as flower girl for your brother's wedding. However, that was Hana's deadpan reply when I asked the seemingly-innocent question, "Do you need to use the bathroom?"
Hana is a girl who wears her feelings on her shirt sleeves (which is a bit of a play on words - considering this post is celebrating Sloan's & its fun raglan style sleeves). Hana does not go half-way on things. She is either loving and living fully in every minute - or wants absolutely nothing to do with things. It is always a high high priority for me to make sure she is comfortable and excited about what she is wearing because I know it can make or break her day.
Our family discovered Sloan by chance. After falling in love with my dapple dachshund leggings, I decided to take the kids to an Open House at my friend's in-home boutique, thinking they might each find a cute pair for themselves. Hana took one look at Sloan and it was love at first sight. While V's first several selections were diverse (Sloan, leggings, Maxi), Hana picked exclusively Sloans until I made her branch out since it was getting cooler out and as a 9-going-on-10 year old, she was out of clothes that fit. Here she is sporting some of her favorite tees!
Anyone who knows Hana knows those are 3 sentences you do *not* want to hear her say moments before she glides down the aisle as flower girl for your brother's wedding. However, that was Hana's deadpan reply when I asked the seemingly-innocent question, "Do you need to use the bathroom?"
Hana is a girl who wears her feelings on her shirt sleeves (which is a bit of a play on words - considering this post is celebrating Sloan's & its fun raglan style sleeves). Hana does not go half-way on things. She is either loving and living fully in every minute - or wants absolutely nothing to do with things. It is always a high high priority for me to make sure she is comfortable and excited about what she is wearing because I know it can make or break her day.
Our family discovered Sloan by chance. After falling in love with my dapple dachshund leggings, I decided to take the kids to an Open House at my friend's in-home boutique, thinking they might each find a cute pair for themselves. Hana took one look at Sloan and it was love at first sight. While V's first several selections were diverse (Sloan, leggings, Maxi), Hana picked exclusively Sloans until I made her branch out since it was getting cooler out and as a 9-going-on-10 year old, she was out of clothes that fit. Here she is sporting some of her favorite tees!
Animal-lover Hana also adores the life-like prints so unique to LLR.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Holey Socks: My journey with LuLaRoe
Oh, how I wish I was as avid a digital photographer 10 years ago as I am today. Not good, mind you, but avid. Now I take pictures of just about everything, even just as "reminders to self". I am horrible at deleting things and they all end up somewhere on Shutterfly. Knowing that, I was sure I had a gem from c. 2005, a pic I intended to tag as my #beforelularoe pic. However, I have not been able to locate it, so I will describe it the best I can. Fortunately, I remember the scene vividly, as my husband still likes to tease me about it.
Picture me, at a table, with my hair a bit of a mess, in a somewhat raggedy shirt, spreading cream cheese on slices of ham (preparing to host my first-ever baby shower for a friend). I imagine that, as: 1) I am the event hostess, 2) it is about an hour before showtime, and 3) I don't get changed again, that I must believe I am dressed appropriately for the event. I was wearing maternity pants that would have been a nice fit had I remained within the 25-35 pound recommended pregnancy weight gain range, but were a bit snug as I had actually packed on close to 90 pounds by then. The best part was a silver-dollar sized hole in the heel of one of my socks.
This picture is a reminder to me that I did not take care of myself. It is probably a feeling most of us can relate to--if not as young adults, then perhaps at least as parents. It has always been easier for me to focus on being there for other people than to determine who and what I really want for myself. This point is driven home even further by the fact that too-tight clothes and too-holey socks were never reason enough for me to acquire replacements. My main cues indicating needed wardrobe updates were others (usually my husband or mom) charitably pointing this out to me, reminding me to also make time for myself.
So, what triggered my change? I am mother to three precious girls. My oldest is the spitting image of her dad, while my younger two take a bit more after me. They always love to hear about what things were like when Matt and I were their age--and what our predictions are regarding who they will take more after as adults. Ha takes so strongly after her Filipino father and grandmother that I have often been asked if I adopted her. She was not at all surprised when we told her she would probably look a lot like her Mimi as she aged. V, on the other hand, is more of my mini-me. This was a concept that always excited her until she realized that looking like me as a child suggests she may also look like me as an adult. When that concept clicked, the poor girl actually cried. You can imagine how that made me feel; on the upside it helped me make some very positive changes.
The biggest obstacles to updating my wardrobe were my extreme dislike for shopping and the feeling that nothing I purchased could possibly look all that good on anyway. Enter LuLaRoe. I purchased my first pair of leggings about 2 months after the birth of my sweet Flossie. I felt wonderful and comfortable in them the moment I pulled them on--LuLaRoe makes styles that flatter EVERY body type; I have found that the few times I have not instantly fallen in love with a piece, it is usually because I had tried on the incorrect size. LuLaRoe has given me excitement and interest where I just didn't have it before. Having clothing I actually feel good in inspires me to take better of myself.
I am happy to say that V is now a lot more excited about favoring me -- and often runs into my bedroom early in the morning to see what I have laid out so that we can coordinate our looks! Here we are are both sporting boots, leggings, and cardigans. I also have on my favorite Irma.
Roe-ing with my mini-me. :)
Picture me, at a table, with my hair a bit of a mess, in a somewhat raggedy shirt, spreading cream cheese on slices of ham (preparing to host my first-ever baby shower for a friend). I imagine that, as: 1) I am the event hostess, 2) it is about an hour before showtime, and 3) I don't get changed again, that I must believe I am dressed appropriately for the event. I was wearing maternity pants that would have been a nice fit had I remained within the 25-35 pound recommended pregnancy weight gain range, but were a bit snug as I had actually packed on close to 90 pounds by then. The best part was a silver-dollar sized hole in the heel of one of my socks.
This picture is a reminder to me that I did not take care of myself. It is probably a feeling most of us can relate to--if not as young adults, then perhaps at least as parents. It has always been easier for me to focus on being there for other people than to determine who and what I really want for myself. This point is driven home even further by the fact that too-tight clothes and too-holey socks were never reason enough for me to acquire replacements. My main cues indicating needed wardrobe updates were others (usually my husband or mom) charitably pointing this out to me, reminding me to also make time for myself.
So, what triggered my change? I am mother to three precious girls. My oldest is the spitting image of her dad, while my younger two take a bit more after me. They always love to hear about what things were like when Matt and I were their age--and what our predictions are regarding who they will take more after as adults. Ha takes so strongly after her Filipino father and grandmother that I have often been asked if I adopted her. She was not at all surprised when we told her she would probably look a lot like her Mimi as she aged. V, on the other hand, is more of my mini-me. This was a concept that always excited her until she realized that looking like me as a child suggests she may also look like me as an adult. When that concept clicked, the poor girl actually cried. You can imagine how that made me feel; on the upside it helped me make some very positive changes.
The biggest obstacles to updating my wardrobe were my extreme dislike for shopping and the feeling that nothing I purchased could possibly look all that good on anyway. Enter LuLaRoe. I purchased my first pair of leggings about 2 months after the birth of my sweet Flossie. I felt wonderful and comfortable in them the moment I pulled them on--LuLaRoe makes styles that flatter EVERY body type; I have found that the few times I have not instantly fallen in love with a piece, it is usually because I had tried on the incorrect size. LuLaRoe has given me excitement and interest where I just didn't have it before. Having clothing I actually feel good in inspires me to take better of myself.
I am happy to say that V is now a lot more excited about favoring me -- and often runs into my bedroom early in the morning to see what I have laid out so that we can coordinate our looks! Here we are are both sporting boots, leggings, and cardigans. I also have on my favorite Irma.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Matt's Initiation
After years of learning about and growing in the Catholic faith, Matt made things official today. It was inspiring watching him grow and blossom along the way. The kids and I couldn't be more proud. He is a wonderful role model for our little angels and we look forward strengthening our faith together.
Erasmus, Matt's chosen Confirmation Saint. Also the Patron Saint of Abdominal Pain.
It is a real testament to our military spiritual community that we have been able to grow so exponentially here. Catholic initiation is something Matt has considered since the birth of oldest daughter--however sometimes those steps are more difficult to take as an adult, as life is much more complicated and much less black and white the older you get. Our Parish and Church community inspire us daily to live more meaningful and holy lives and we are so grateful.
Our happy family. (also featured is LuLaRoe's Amelia worn backgrounds as a nursing-friendly dress)
It is a real testament to our military spiritual community that we have been able to grow so exponentially here. Catholic initiation is something Matt has considered since the birth of oldest daughter--however sometimes those steps are more difficult to take as an adult, as life is much more complicated and much less black and white the older you get. Our Parish and Church community inspire us daily to live more meaningful and holy lives and we are so grateful.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Dachshund Fun
In preparation for some extended AF training, we took some full body pictures of Matt in his *absolute best* uniform so that we can have "Daddy Dolls" made for the littles. Modified mess dress, featuring #dachshundlove. Is this a man itching a Randy...or is this a man itching for a Randy?? I am so excited that LuLaRoe offers two unisex lines: the Randy (for men) & the Sloan (for boys). I am sad Matt will have left for training by the time my initial inventory arrives because I am itching to schedule some "Real Men of LLR" and father-son photo shoots.
Matt's dashing "Party Shirt" reminds me greatly of my favorite Randy tee (and for that matter, Flossie's coordinating dachshund onsie). I would love to find a Randy reversed and in Matt's size (solid body, dachshund sleeves). I am sure he is also hopeful about that! ;)
Monday, January 18, 2016
Daddy's Girl
As a military family, we don't always get to spend as much time together as we'd like. We have definitely learned to appreciate quality over quantity--and there is nothing sweeter than a girl who loves her Daddy.
V is sporting the Kids' Maxi Skirt in camo.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Snape's Patronus
I was browsing a consultant's FB page as a means to avoid: 1) completing on my nurse practitioner homework & 2) attaining a full night's sleep, when I came across a "Thank You for my Patronus Leggings" post. I stared at the shadowy doe leggings--which up until this point I had interpreted as designed for hunters (looked like deer on bullseyes to me on first go-round)--and thought, "How on earth are these Patronus leggings?"
My daughters and I have been working our way through the Harry Potter series. It's taken awhile, considering I also work a night shift in the ER--which interrupts our ideal family reading schedule at least a couple times per week. The journey has been wonderful, though. Two summers ago, right after we finished the first book, we took a family trip to Universal Studios and enjoyed Harry Potter land weeks before the Hogsmeade addition opened--with the intent to return the summer after we complete the series. After each book, we plan a HP-themed dinner party and watch the corresponding film. We are now about a quarter of the way through the final book--and very excited to see how things pan out.
Google got the better of me, and that nagging question regarding Snape's character was resolved about 194 pages prematurely. On the upside, the plot spoiler compelled me to immediately order a pair of what I now clearly see as adorable and sentimental Patronus leggings and to join the LLR team. What I felt in that moment was the creativity LLR offers everyone who loves it--and my mind has brimmed with ideas and untapped potential ever since.
In loving memory of Alan Rickman and his wonderful portrayal of Snape
And, might I add, I LOVE the idea of a dementor tunic. It captures the dark mystery of Snape and contrasts strikingly with both his true character and the fun spell/charm tank.
Get the look
LuLaRoe Patronus leggings - LuLaRoe with Kristen
"Always" charm - Etsy
Magic tank - Etsy
Dementor tunic - pictured H&M style discontinued; find similar at Etsy
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