ALLIANCE FOR HOPE HIGH FIVE CAMPAIGN…

Today, several shops/bloggers and I have the privilege of giving HOPE to Domestic Violence victims and children affected by Domestic Violence.  We have teamed up with ALLIANCE FOR HOPE which is a non-profit that provides resources and support to victims of domestic violence and their children. Their hope is to break the cycle that an abusive environment creates.  With our help and support, their goal is to create a movement to raise awareness and funds for a cause that affects every community. They plan to do this by spreading hope and smiles everywhere and encouraging every person to wear a “HOPE” bracelet by Evolution Lighthouse or by donating directly to Alliance For Hope.

We would love for you to join us by purchasing your own HOPE bracelet HERE. Part of your proceeds will go to benefit Alliance for Hope. You can also make a direct donation on their website HERE.

Thanks in advance for your support!

PRAY.HUSTLE.REPEAT

All day, err’ day…

Shop The Look Here:

Check Ya Self Buffalo Check Bangle: STACY BROWN DESIGNS

Distressed Skinny Jeans: BLANKNYC

PRAY HUSTLE REPEAT SHIRT: THE LIGHT BLONDE

Buffalo Check Vest:  SIMILAR TOO

“Off The Chain” Chunky Chain Link Bracelet: STACY BROWN DESIGNS

Fringe Booties: SIMILAR TOO & SIMILAR TOO

Sunglasses: SIMILAR TOO

BE THE LIGHT…

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Last week was pretty tough. We had to say goodbye to my 94 year old grandfather.  He was the Godliest man that I have ever known.  He read the Bible cover to cover 55 times. He taught us by example.  I never heard him raise his voice.  He loved my grandmother, his kids, his grandkids, his great grandkids, and his Heavenly Father.  He was a light in a dark world.  He lit the path for us all to follow.  He lit the path that will, ultimately,  lead us all “home” to be with him again one day.  My prayer is that I can be half the person he was.  I pray that my light will so shine…

Shop The Look Here:

“Check Ya Self” Buffalo Check Bangle: STACY BROWN DESIGNS

Small Sarra Crystal Cuff: LOREN HOPE

Black & White Stripe Turtleneck (Similar Too): OLD NAVY

Black & White Stripe Gloves: OLD NAVY

Red Hunter Boots: HUNTER BOOTS

I know that the blog has been a proverbial “ghost town” these past couple of months. The dust is just starting to settle from the holiday RUSH and the aftermath of what we can now put in the history books as “Christmas 2012”.

Our little company really took off this year in an amazing way, but with rapid growth also comes some major “growing pains”! As 2012 came to a close, we realizedthat we needed to reflect back and make some {BIG} adjustments that would be beneficial to us in the coming year. We did some things right, but there was {and still is}, room for improvement. We would have never believed back last March when we really got started with this endeavor, that things would have transpired like they did. I was, {still am, & in a lot of ways always will be} a little clueless when it came to starting, owning, and running a small business. I just dove in head first and decided that I would have to figure it out along the way. You see, that is tough for an OCD girl like me who likes everything planned, structured and organized. This past year has brought about many sleepless nights, many an anxiety attack, lots of tears shed, and unbelievable amounts of tedious and time consuming work. There were many times (and still are, I cannot lie) that I have wanted to throw in the towel and go find a “real” job. However, when that feeling strikes and I start on my job hunts, etc., it seems that something inside of me knows that I am right where I am supposed to be. My head (and all that OCD logic inside of it) tell me that I probably need to give up, go find a job with a paycheck (boy, I sure do like nice things), I have bills to pay, I need to be responsible and sensible, surely this is big waste of time and whole lot of hard work and how many little start ups ever make it anyway, right?!?! I have the same fears as everyone else, the “what ifs”, etc. It would be easier, (oh so much easier), to stop worrying myself sick over this little business of mine and just go to work for some big company and when the day ends at 5pm, work is over with and when the weekends or vacations roll around, I can just relax and have fun and not worry for one little minute about the constant, non-stop barrage of things that come with owning a small biz.

BUT…. my {HEART}says…. “YOU CAN DO THIS”, this is your passion, you love lots of things about it, you feel a sense of accomplishment with each little milestone, look at all your successes, you are a fighter, you WILL be successful, you can scrap and claw your way through, and if you love what you are doing then the rest will figure itself out! I truly feel that the Lord keeps bringing me right back to this place. I know, as hard as I have prayed, that if it wasn’t His will for me to be right where I am at, that He would have already opened another door. My faith has been and still is being tested to the core. No one likes insecurity. This year I have tested my personal boundaries, I have stepped out of the box, I have done things that a just a few short months ago I didn’t think that I could do. It is not all pink peonies {my fav} and sparkly cupcakes {another personal fav}, but is it worth it????

I truly believe that it is! It may not be paying the bills right now, but one day it will. Perseverance and hard work {and a boat load of prayers} will pay off just as it always does and one day I will stand on the other side of this mountain completely amazed that I was able to make the climb!

With that being said, I am excited to introduce one of the big changes that is taking place over here at Preppy & Pink! Very soon, we will be launching “Stacy Brown Designs”! After lots of thought & careful consideration, we have decided to rebrand the business and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Here is a sneak peek at what is to come…

We are super excited about the brand re-launch and can’t wait to share more with you in the coming weeks!

What’s holding you back today? Are you letting doubt and fear stand in the way of accomplishing something great? Maybe it is time to step out on faith and go for it! The path to your {BIG} dream may not be smooth, but the reward that is waiting for you may be greater than you could ever imagine!

Good Luck!