Cinderella Shoes: A Blog Birthday

photo-5photo-6photo-7photo-4

 photo-3

In honor of the release of Disney’s Live Action “Cinderella” I thought I would share some of my favorite “Cinderella” feeling shoes.

From top: Brian Atwood, Marc Jacobs and appropriately named “Cinderella”.

Happy weekend and may your shoes take you magical places!

Above was my first blog post, on this day 7 years ago. (Complete sidebar: I can’t believe it’s been 7! years. It feels like yesterday and at the same time feels like we’ve always been here- in all the best ways!)

I didn’t know what I was doing, even though I had taken classes and tried to prep myself (know how I always tell you I’m back at tech? It used to be MUCH! worse). There’s a chance I still don’t know what I’m doing- I feel like I’m still learning, though I will say that I have a much more firm grasp on what my vision is (telling our stories through fashion). People will tell you that the blog is dead- but I can’t tell you how much I still love this little corner of the internet that we share, and the community we’re building- and I love that we’re still growing.

Because it’s the blog’s birthday I thought we should celebrate, and while yes- that does mean fantastic shoes (so put some on and have a fun drink for me!), I’d also like to share some lessons that I’ve learned over these past 7(!) years!

-Your dreams will change. Grow. I think the best thing is to grow with them. Sometimes that means taking breaks, sometimes it means non-stop work, but at the end it should be worth it. This part (even the work) should be fun. Even when I’m frustrated with tech or what I want to say or the myriad of other things (this is still a job) I’m so grateful I get to do this. Fashion is fun to me, and I hope that comes through in my stories.

-Your path will take its own time. Especially with “influencers” (I have feelings about that word) there is always someone new or with more followers or reaches goals before you. I would be lying if there were times when I wasn’t envious of what others are doing- but I have to remind myself that their path is not mine. All I can do is the best I can, telling the stories how I know (growing and changing of course) and trust. It’s so cheesy to say but I do really believe that what’s for you is for you- it may take time and work- but it’s out there.

-Sometimes our stories are difficult to tell. I really think that fashion is how we tell our stories. And yet, there have been things that have been hard to talk about here (like how sick I was recently. I just didn’t want to post nonstop stories of me in sweats on the couch!). Sometimes, our stories are what we’re trying to be and not what we are. It can make fashion both endlessly fascinating, yet it can also leave you feeling like you have to keep up appearances. (And yes, social media and all the things are part of it.) Boundaries have been hard for me (not just here, but in general), but having a job that’s about sharing has lead me to firm up my boundaries. Not that I don’t love sharing with you! But not every story is for sharing- and that’s ok too.

I’ll be honest, this blog birthday kind of crept up on me. As you know, I’ve been sick and while I’m finally feeling as if I’m getting back to myself, there are still things to catch up on (clearly). In the coming weeks be on the look out for a birthday give-away, and more fantastic shoes.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. I’m so grateful for you, I hope that this week is full of magic and amazing shoes! XO RA

Sunday Chronicles: Blog Birthday!

Investment Piece: Sunday Chronicles: Blog Birthday

I started this little piece of the Internet about 3 years ago. Honestly, I had no clue what I was doing. My mom actually came up with the idea, having read about blogging in Texas Monthly. Since I was 2 and began to have opinions about what I wore (and learned the word “no”), I’ve loved all things fashion and had something to say about it. So, I took a course on WordPress and began shooting my looks. We’ve grown, I’ve found my niche (Fashion Stories), and I still love all things fashion and talking about it. I couldn’t be more grateful for you joining me! There are so many exciting things to come; however, today we’re taking a minute to celebrate our blog birthday! So, let’s sit back, pop some champagne and look back at some of our favorite posts!

Investment Piece: Cinderella Shoes

The post that started it all: Cinderella Shoes

Investment Piece: FBF: Gucci Top
I still love this Vintage Gucci top.

Investment Piece: Pop of Yellow
From my first shoot with Katy Shayne, Pop of Yellow

Investment Piece: Feature in Influential Magazine
To my first shoot with Megan Weaver YSL

Investment Piece: American Girl
KYN Photo American Girl

Investment Piece: Fashion Stories
To my first Fashion Stories

Everything in between and everything to come.

Thank you for being a part of Investment Piece!

Wishing us all a week of celebrations and amazing shoes! Xo RA

Blog Birthday!

Investment Piece: Blog Birthday

I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but, Investment Piece is turning 3!!!

This is one of those times when it feels like we’ve only just started, and yet, we have oh so far to go. The inspiration for this site is all due to my mother. I grew up loving fashion, and have always had a knack for putting together an outfit. I’m used to people asking me where I got things. So when my mom read an article in “Texas Monthly” about how blogging was an actual business, Investment Piece was born. To start, I took a class about doing your own site (tech isn’t and never will be my strong suit), got a tripod and a remote for my iPhone, and we were in business.

So much has changed! Can you believe at one time I thought we’d do fashion arts and crafts?
Investment Piece: Blog Birthday

Yes, I painted my own jeans. You can read about it here.

I like to think the pics have gotten better:
Investment Piece: October Blues

And I’ve managed to find my voice (or at least, my voice right now).

Investment Piece: Holiday Gown

I can’t say this enough: I am so grateful for you. I known that there are so many bloggers and feeds and advice you can be following. I appreciate you following me.

So, what are we doing for the blog’s birthday?

Celebrating you!

This month (yes, I gave my blog a month to celebrate its birthday. I’m the coolest blog mom ever), our content is full of Giveways, flashbacks to some of our first content, and events!

You can still enter the first giveaway here, and our first flashback was Friday!

Investment Piece:FBF first neutrals

There will be more of both, so stay tuned!

And after the blog birthday month is over? Still more new content, some series I’m excited about, and finding ways to be fresh and exciting while being ourselves.

As someone much cooler than me once said: “I don’t know where we’re going from here, but it won’t be boring”.

Thank you for celebrating our blog birthday with us!

Wishing us all a week of champagne and amazing shoes!
XO RA