Inspiring Friends
I’ve been so blessed in my life to meet, know, and grow with people who challenge and inspire me. I’ve learned quickly along the way that it’s not about the superficial things or the surface things, it’s about making the time to cultivate relationships with people that make you want to be a better person. You know?
I’ve also been super blessed in this whole experience of blogging to meet some amazing blog-life friends who also inspire me. I don’t even know if I set out for that to be the case, but it just sort of happened that way.
And you should know by now that I stay true to my word. That’s very important to me.
So, with that in mind, I want y’all to meet some of the amazing women I get to work with on this here blog that aren’t just “colleagues,” if you will, they are truly women that I have gotten to know and absolutely adore and admire. Check them out. DO it. You won’t regret it.
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Meet Erin at The Mighty River Project
Website / Facebook / Pinterest
Erin is the epitome of what you call an inspiration. This is a woman who truly listened to God’s calling on her life and has done everything she can to serve and help others. I am SO excited because I actually am going to meet Erin in person in like two weeks. YAY! I know that sounds nerdy, but I can’t wait to meet her and put a face to a name. As I’ve gotten to know Erin and TMRP, it’s only made me want to be a better person. I hope that some day I can follow the call God’s placed on my life the way Erin has in hers. Erin’s quirky fact? When they finally gave in and bought a mini-van when they had their 3rd child, their son named it Buster T. Yota (because it is a Toyota Sienna.) She feels like the existence of Buster in her life, as well as his corny corny name, solidifies her mom-ishness quite nicely. I LOVE IT. Go. Meet. Her.
From Erin:
The Mighty River Project is a non-profit initiative in Uganda that seeks to keep families together and strong through job training and craft skills. The shop features one-of-a-kind paper bead jewelry, banana fiber baskets, and textiles which have been handmade by mamas who partner with The Mighty River Project. When you make a purchase from the TMRP store, you are not only buying well-crafted, artistic pieces, but also directly supporting the family of the woman who made the item. Every purchase resonates around the world, empowering women, preserving families, preventing orphans.
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Meet Sandra with LITVAS Jewelry
ArtFire studio / Facebook / Blog
I have absolutely loved getting to know Sandra. She has such a fun, quirky personality, but she is SO genuine and absolutely loves what she does. She is also a hairdresser, which is awesome (because I know NOTHING about hair… so I often refer to her for advice). A fun fact about her is she is 35 years old, but hasn’t seen her natural hair color in 20 years! Her natural hair color? BLONDE! Go. Meet. Her.
From Sandra:
My ArtFire studio is filled with one of a kind handmade beaded jewelry. Designing and creating jewelry is such a passion for me! I have a hard time finding enough hours in the day to satisfy my “need to bead”! There are many different styles including fashionista feathers, elegant pearls, intricately beaded rings and bracelets, chic leather and luxurious ropes with prices ranges to suit any budget. I myself like to wear a variety of styles of different jewelry depending on my mood or outfit for the day, that is why I enjoy making a variety of styles using different materials. I feel that it provides my customers with choices when shopping for themselves or for a unique gift for someone else. My blog is just a place for me to talk about my obsession with making jewelry and offers a little peak into my creative process. 🙂
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Rachel is my newest blog friend and I am SO GLAD that we met. She is absolutely HILARIOUS and she has such an amazing knack for design and style. Seriously. I use her monthly desktop backgrounds every month and I look forward to the new ones all the time. (SPOILER: She’s got her April one coming on Monday to this blog!) She also has a huge heart. A fun, quirky fact about Rachel? She is HIGHLY phobic of chickens. Like, seriously. Terrified of them. Hilarious and awesome. I love this girl! Go. Meet. Her.
From Rachel:
lala Lists is a little fluff and a lot of nonsense. You will get fabulous style boards one day, celeb crushes the next, lolcats following that, and design freebies quickly after! lala is my place to vent, share, explore, and laugh and I hope it is the same for you!
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Meet Stephanie of Ooh Baby! Designs
Monogrammed Beach Tote / Large, Reversible Baseball Mom Tote / Infinity Scarf in Teal and White Chevron
I first met and started working with Stephanie back in October, and she has truly become such a great friend and a huge supporter. She’s an amazing mother and wife and is able to do what she loves on a daily basis – make GORGEOUS scarves and bags. I look up to her so much and her encouraging messages and e-mails always make my day.
An awesome fact about Stephanie? She can recite the preamble to the constitution in 10 seconds. She can SING it in 12. THAT IS AWESOME.
Stephanie’s shop is full of scarves and bags and everything awesome in this world. Go. Meet. Her. Do it.
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Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
Kenye is a fellow North Carolina girl after my own heart. Not only is her style classic and timeless, but she also has an impeccable eye for design. She is CRAZY talented and just absolutely fabulous through and through. The more I get to know Kenye and the more I read her blog, the more I like her. She is a huge supporter of mine and I also like to think of her as a great friend. A fun, quirky fact about Kenye? She learned how to cook at age 27! Go. Meet. Her.
From Kenye:
Glow Kouture Style is my personal online diary that features fashion, beauty and style. It’s about mix and matching different types of pieces to see just what type of outfit I can create, helping others find inspiration and creating their own style and sharing with everyone what’s currently in my makeup bag.
See what I mean? How awesome are these women? Seriously. Go meet them. You won’t regret it. Tell them I sent you!
Love this post….especially the beginning. Those friendships that inspire you to he better, those really are the best kind. Thanks for sharing the beautiful women you’ve featured today!
aw thank you so much, anne! they are all wonderful.