I was recently given the opportunity to collaborate with 31 Bits, an incredible brand that helps make our world a better place by empowering people to rise above poverty. I have been following 31 Bits for years now and have always admired their mission and beautiful pieces. I was so honored when they contacted me and asked me to style the Creative bracelet from their Classics Collection. The Creative bracelet is for "women who can't be contained by rules or tradition, that are too busy creating masterpieces. Everything they touch turns to gold!" Each piece is handmade out of 100% recycled paper and helps support women artisans in Uganda. I feel so fortunate to have been able to collaborate with such an amazing brand. Check out the collection here and learn more about the 31 Bits mission!

Creative bracelet | gold bracelet | rings | sweater kimono | similar dress | necklace

a style journey

    

everyone starts somewhere, right? 
When I first became interested in fashion, you could call my style eclectic - to say the least. My style icons were Mary Kate & Ashley because they just did whatever they wanted and totally pulled it off. I distinctively remember girls in junior high making fun of my outfits and the fact that I liked to wear camis over my tops and a belt to top it off. Like I said... eclectic, but in all fairness Gwen Stefani was killing the game at this time and she was eclectic to say the very least, so maybe I was on point! Or near it... I used to sketch and design clothes in artist pads until the wee hours of the morning. And although my dreams of being a fashion designer didn't really even make it to my teens, I think it really sparked my interest in style to begin with. Well that, and also my incredibly artistic cousin who was working as a fashion designer at Gap at the time, and then went on to drop everything and move to Mexico to teach local artisans how to create their own items and self sustainable incomes... Yeah, my cousins are pretty amazing.

As time went on, I tried multiple times to hone in on my "style". After my obsession with Molly Ringwald, the need to fit in with Hollister stage and my complete and utter obsession with Urban Outfitters, I think I eventually fell more into this "preppy" category. As much as I love the Madewell look - and have minimal pieces incorporated throughout my wardrobe as well - I'd spend more money in J. Crew, Gap, & Banana in a hot second.

similar j.crew blazer | men's button down | earrings & necklace | similar gap jeans | boots | makeup

When I need to create a quick outfit, it usually ends up including a blazer and some pretty gems. This was precisely the case Friday.  This may be partially due to my year and a half of retail work at J. Crew. Plus, I woke up late and didn't feel well, which always makes me feel the need to look put together... so I can in turn make myself believe I am haha.

click below for a few links that may help with your style journey!

go for it!

So I've reached a point where I'm about to experience a big life change. It's gone from feeling way too real, to not real at all, to surreal. It's a a little scary. It's also a lot exciting.

I'm not someone who deals well with change. I love growth. I appreciate it, I relish in it, I wanna make teddy bears out of it so I can just hug it all the time. But change is different. Growth hits you and you're better because of it. But it always comes from some type of change. And that's when things are a little scary. It's the stuff that comes before the growth. That causes it. The part that can be hard, and heart-aching, and difficult. That can result in a shortness of breath and isn't for the faint of heart. That stuff. 

So I've reached this point, where I know it's not going to be easy. It's going to be work. Even more work then I've been putting into it previously. But what I can say is that I know God is all about it, all around it, behind it, in front of it and all up in it. I see Him working and I feel His peace.

I don't have it all figured out, but if it means I'm with Him, then I'm going for it.
Maybe you should think about going for it too.

- Sey

A little happy surprise for your Monday!

So the time has finally come! You asked for, I said I would, and I finally did it! iPhone wallpapers!

The two colorful quotes I was asked to write out recently and I really loved the heart and passion behind them! I've been a long time fan of Maya Angelou's words and Vincent van Gogh quotes have really been so on point with my life and thought process recently. I don't know why  it took me so long to begin looking into things he's said. 

The middle one may already make sense to you if you follow me on instagram! I've been doing a little series on gratitude where I try to remember to hashtag #gratitudefordays and write something I'm thankful for on instagram as frequently as possible. I figured this would be a way to take this to the next level. If you download this wallpaper, I challenge you to set it as your lock screen on your iPhone so each time you press the home button, you're prompted to fill in that blank! Being thankful for our blessings and all God has done in our lives makes it really hard not to be filled with love and joy. Let's incline ourselves towards leading lives filled with gratitude and think about all of our blessings more often!

I hope you enjoy these and that they bless you throughout your time using them!

download:

Maya Angelou / Grateful / Vincent Van Gogh

xx,

Sey

VII Shirts - Gateway Church X She, In The Making

One of my favorite projects in 2014 was this collaboration with VII, the college aged youth ministry at Gateway Church. If you know me, you know VII is near and dear to my heart. Tuesdays are my favorite nights of the week because of VII, where I get to meet in a room full of young adults to worship God and learn more about Him. I have learned and grown so much during my time at VII. I have experienced some of my sweetest moments and created some of my most cherished relationships there. I was so ecstatic when I was contacted to create the design for the new VII t-shirts. Creating lettering for Gateway had been a desire God had placed on my heart in the past, but I never spoke of it, so I was thrilled when Paul reached out to me. Sidenote: Paul of Socality is a really neat guy and has linked me with some really awesome opportunities for handlettering in the past year, such as my collaboration with Socality PDX & VRSLY last fall as well. The theme of the shirts was (obviously) living generously. These shirts were to debut around the holiday season, but were meant to be something that could be worn all year long. The term is a play on giving generously, which we've all heard before. However, VII turned it around and chose to focus on how we can live with the mentality of life being about more than just ourselves. How we can live a life that is bigger than just us. I was all about it. In making these shirts, I had so much creative freedom and was so excited to create different designs to present to the VII team. As I worked on the different designs, I was able to have fun experimenting with different styles and finding out more about my own! Below you can see the final designs I presented to the VII team - in black & white just for a different look- and then at the bottom, there are a few photos of the final chosen and printed designs.

Thanks so much to the VII team for this opportunity! This has been one of my favorite projects to date and I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to collaborate with you!

xx,

Sey

VALENTINE'S DAY WITH T & SEY

I've never been "taken" on Valentine's Day. Sure I've gotten asked out, I've gotten the chocolates and the roses and the teddy bears, but I've never actually been with someone. And given I have a pretty awful memory, I can't necessarily attest to how I've felt in Valentine's Days prior to the past 3 or 4. But I can say that these past three or four have been amazing. I like being single. That's not to say I don't want to ever have a significant other, or that I don't like couples in love. I love that stuff. Engagement shoots are my favorite. Wedding videos make me weak in the knees. Show me a creative proposal video and I'll show everyone and their mother in love. & I like the idea of romance. But it's not the reality of my life right now. And I pretty much love the reality of my life right now, so I don't feel like anyone or anything is missing. This all to say, I am stoked for Valentine's this year, as I have been in the past. My friends and family always find sweet ways to show me I'm loved and cared for. Whether it be with my favorite candies or flowers, candies, notes, texts, or calls. Valentine's really can be so much fun! I think, like with anything else, it's what you make of it! This year, my friends and I are getting together for a little "single ladies galentine's day party" and I cannot wait. I honestly think  a room full of dolled up ladies indulging in chocolate, wine, sweets, & hors d'ourves beats a crowded restaurant any day! & I think when I finally am taken on Valentine's, it may continue to look very similarly, but we can sprinkle some boys in the mix too.

In honor of some fun things going on in life, my sweet pal Tiana & I decided to put together this fun little video! We wanted to celebrate this season, have a lot of fun - which of course we did, and provide a sneak peek to an upcoming instagram giveaway featuring some of our absolute favorite products! I'm pretty much obsessed with this song, so we found a great cover of it to hopefully get you a little excited and maybe even inspire some of you out there to grab a couple of friends and HAVE SOME FUN! This day, like any other, really is whatever you make out of it! And I know it can be really hard for people sometimes, but trust me, if you really want it to be, it truly can be just as sweet. ♥ 

hope you enjoy it !

Intentional

So this is an old post I wrote in the first couple of days of the new year. Some of these things, I'm still struggling with. Some of them, I've already taken leaps and bounds in accomplishing or overcoming. But some are still hard. Yet I take comfort; a soothing element coats my soul as I reread these words, am reminded of these truths, and relive these feelings. I'm not entirely sure why I let it sit in my drafts all this time, but these revelations moved me, and I want to share them with you.