Same but Different

So, an idea had been circling my mind for a while. And it was all about changing the name of my website. For the past eight years, my website has been known as: Shopping, Saving & Sequins. And on Instagram I was appropriately @ShopSaveSequin....except for that brief time when I was @ShopSaveSequins but accidentally deleted my account. You ever wanna see a blogger have a complete mental breakdown? Delete their Instagram account. 

Eight or nine years ago I was all about those sequins. Like alllll about them. There was a healthy dose of sequins around me at all times. Obsessed. I love sequins. On almost anything. They’re just not the main focus of my wardrobe or my aesthetic or my website anymore. In blogger terminology, they’re just not “on brand“. 

MAY 2013

AUGUST 2013

JULY 2014

OCTOBER 2015

Nine years ago, when I started this blog, I was 26 years old. Prematurely married to the wrong guy. And turned to my love of fashion as my escape. And it was the best escape. As the cliché goes, fashion was literally my passion. And I threw myself into the blog I created 24/7. I was a machine back then. I even took on a Summer intern one year to help out. She was down to get paid in shoes, so that helped.

Some of you probably remember the early days where there were lots of collaborations with some great brands. I was very busy building my content, building my reputation, and all the while getting to know and love my network of readers from all over the place. Because of course without loyal readers, where would this blog even be??? So many connections and friendships have been fostered along this journey...

VERY FIRST COLLABORATION W/ TART COLLECTIONS - JULY 2011

SHOPSTYLE CAMPAIGN SHOOT - FEBRUARY 2014

TWISTED SHOES AMBASSADOR - 2014

PHOTO SHOOT & INTERVIEW W/ BAY AREA FASHION EDITORIAL - NOVEMBER 2014

HOSTED SPRING STYLING EVENT W/ BLOOMINGDALE'S, STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER - 2016

Eventually hard work paid off and I got to fulfill dreams of going to NYFW for about five years in a row. Covering the shows I was invited to and posting my adventures as I trekked through NYC was and remains the highlight of blog-life for me....

MY "PAPARAZZI" SHOTS...lol

STILL SHOT FROM MY BRIEF CAMEO ON THE E! CHANNEL AS I LEFT THE SS16 DESIGUAL SHOW

Working hard on the website and its content got me through fashion weeks, an insanely unstable marriage and inevitable divorce. Essentially, Shopping, Saving & Sequins and its readers and overall potential gave me the incentive to keep going and pushing forward. Busy is always a good idea.

So, life changed. I changed. The website changed. And I had a feeling that a name change would happen eventually...for the blog that is...another marriage was not in the foreseeable future at the time.

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." -Allen Saunders

Fast forward to meeting my wonderful husband Chris. Meeting Chris was definitely unexpected. But falling in love and even considering marriage again was even more unexpected. 

Chris has changed my life in many ways but I’m not here to delve into that and get mushy, so don’t worry. I won’t go there. But this human has impacted my life immensely in a way where I finally feel at peace. I finally found my happiness and where I belong. And that sense of peace and happiness and belonging has, in-turn, impacted my blog too. 

I like being Mrs. Gehrels. I like being a wife. I like being his wife. I love it in fact. And that makes all the difference.

I took a step back from the website and the incessant need to consistently foster new collaborations and create fresh content. I wanted and want to bask in newfound, much-deserved, peace & happiness. That mentality has driven the website to a slower more organic pace. Instead of posting to the website daily or weekly, I only post when I really want to and that way you know that the content on the website is something I really care about. Something I really want to say.  

While Instagram is a great way to keep up with me day-to-day, the website is like a summary and definitely more organized.

“Paging Mrs. Gehrels!” yells out my friend (more like my sister) Kim, getting my attention by making me laugh. Kimmy nailed it. Just being his hilarious self, he totally inspired/gave me what would be and what is the new name of my website. Shopping and saving on all things fashion, beauty and home are still my focus. And that is definitely one thing that hasn't and won't change. You know...same but different.

The name update feels fresh and more accurate. The logo will undergo an update at some point too...

And so, gone is the sequined-sploshed inspo for something that's more befitting of who I am today. Thus, Paging Mrs. Gehrels is born. I think we should celebrate with some giveaway's, the 1st prize being a little over $100 in Amika hair styling products. Entry is below. Per the usual, USA entrants only please and thank you and good luck and LOVE you all!

_______________GIVEAWAY TIME ________________

ONE WINNER WILL RECEIVE:

1 - Amika travel hair straightening brush w/ metallic rose-gold carrying case ($35 value)

1-  Amika "Perk Up" dry shampoo ($25 value)

1 - Amika "The Shield" style extending spray ($25 value)

1 - Amika skull canvas tote bag ($24 value)

a Rafflecopter giveaway