I'M BACK!!!

These past few years have been a roller coaster ride.  Many ups and downs.  Since having my Little I had to learn the hard way, I can't do everything on my own.  I can't do everything period.  All my life I have been so independent, doing my own thing.  I'm blessed to have a husband who enjoys many of the things I like.  But when you throw a baby into the world of an independent, grew up as the only child, perfectionist be sure to know that chaos will erupt. 

I feel that I'm somewhat ready to share my story with you on a consistent bases now.  I know there has to be other women going through this same journey as I am and not looking perfect, not having a perfect marriage, not being a perfect mother, and not being perfect overall.  I chose the wrong time to start my business.  A little back story for those of you who don't know.  I quiet my job of several years in the fashion industry to become a stay at home mom (sahm).  I literally made the final decision the Saturday before returning back to work.  On top of that, I started a online clothing company my first week being home full time.  What was I thinking?  Being an overachiever that I am I just knew I could handle it all (no, I'm not trying to boast or toot my own horn but I have issues with not trying my best, something I will touch on later in my blogging journey).

My goal this time around with my blog is to share with others my trials & errors, my jounery and my accomplishments as a wife, mother, and new business owner.  This blog will not be perfect.  Sometimes I might not have photos.  Yes there might be typos and mistakes.  But I'm not trying to be perfect here anymore.  I'm just being me.  I've wasted so much time and energy trying to get everything perfect before posting content.  So what if it's not perfect.  At this moment in my life I am doing something different.  I hope you will come only with me in this journey.  Tell me something about yourself.  Are you mother?  A self proclaimed profectionist?  A wife?  A self owned business owner?  A stay a home mother?  Let me know.

Keep Choosing Joy,
Tea Todd

ALMOST ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

So happy that my business has been officially open for almost one year.  I've had many ups but also many downs.  Starting a business is hard.  There was so much for me to learn and I'm still learning as I go.  Having an active toddler adds to the lack of time I have available to put towards my business.  But that's life.  I'm trying to find time each day and trying to learn how to put myself on a work schedule.  All this is a learning experience. 

At the moment I'm trying to work on three different projects, well really five.  They are:
1.  Design Style Stingy's first piece of clothing for our collection that will be available soon.
2.  Work on putting together our first pop up shop at the local flea markets and swapmeets.
3.  Putting together my price points and flyer for the Style Stingy personal stylist.
4.  Designing and making my kids skirts and mommy and me collection.
5.  Teaching my JuJu Bean to read sight words.

The last two are really important to me so I have to make time for these as well as run my business.  I'm not prefect.  I will go weeks without posting on Instagram or Facebook.  I'm not really a blogger either.  I just overall suck at these things.  However if I could just shop and put together looks for people I would be rich.  However when you're a start up you have to do all the dirty work yourself.  That's what makes this process so slow and painfully long for me.  I know my weakness but I don't know how to really ask for help because I always try to do everything myself.  That is the one thing I've been working off and on for the past year.  More so off than on.  But in order to be the best entrepreneur I can be I need to know how to delegate task and stop being a control freak especially when I don't know what I'm doing. 

So now that I'm a year into Style Stingy I know a little bit more about what works for my business and what doesn't.  But I still have a lot of learning to do.  My top two prioirities for improving myself is:
1.  Ask for help.  Learn how to ask when I need help with something.  Wheather if be asking the hubby to watch JuJu Bean for an hour while I work to asking for help about the backend logistics for my website. 
2.  Schedule a (flexible) work schedule for myself and JuJu Bean.  I like to post in the mornings but she likes to play.  So I might start doing my work at night while she's sleeping.  Wake up and give her my undivided attention in the mornings.  Then post my pre-made post when she falls asleep. 

I hope if you find this article that it has helped to inspire you to keep at it.  We're not perfect.  Also I hope you will comment, subscribe, and follow me over at Instagram @teatodd2.

Much Love & Fashion Fun,
Tea Todd

NEW YEARS EVE LOOK

I'm so excited to have been asked to create a New Years Eve look from Weddington Way.  Thanks guys!  NYE is a great time to get married.  Everyone is in party mood and it's the start of a new year.  I put together two looks using the Weddington Way Madison lace bridesmaid dress.  All eyes will be on the bride but the bridesmaid want to stand out in her own special way.  The way to go is through the details.  The first look is bashfully sweet.  All accessories are blush color with a smokey pink eyelid.  The second look is tastefully sexy.  The fur stole and lavender accessories adds a hint of vintage nostalgia to the champagne lace.  The best part about both of these looks... you can wear it even if you're not a bridesmaid.  There are many beautiful styles to chose from at www.weddingtonway.com.  Check out their Facebook page here and their Pinterest page here for more beautiful inspiration.  Which look is your favorite?  Don't forget to check out my new store and blog www.stylestingy.com for affordable fashion. 

Much Love & Fashion Fun,
Tea Todd

                                                              www.weddingtonway.com

Booties Fall 2014

Booties are a remaining favorite for the fall season. They are comfortable, sexy, edgy, and everything else in between. There are many styles to chose from that everyone will love something. Booties have evolved a long way from pairing with only skinnies. Many fashionistas are wearing booties with shorts, skirts, dresses, and rompers. Which is your favorite?

Much Love & Fashion Fun,

Tea Todd

P.S. Don't forget to check out www.stylestingy.com for new & pre-loved pieces that are hand-picked personally by me.

Booties Fall 2014 by goofygyrl21 featuring short boots

BASICS: POP OF COLOR

Adding a pop of color to your basic black and white pieces will breath new life into your look. Layer your tights with a loosely fitted tee, a cardigan, and your motor jacket. Add a necklace in vibrant color such as cobalt blue, coral, or lime green.

Check out www.stylestingy.com for new & pre-loved pieces that are picked personally by me.

Much Love & Fashion Fun,

Tea Todd

BASICS: POP OF COLOR

WHATS YOUR INSPIRATION?

I've been wanting to write this post for a while but my baby girl has been keeping me busy.  It's better late than never.  I'm a visual person so when I see something or write it down I can remember it.  Vision/inspiration boards are great for seeing what it is you want to accomplish.  There are sites like Pinterest and Tumblr that allow you collect images in one place but I need something that I can see every time I walk by.  I had inspirational boards before baby girl arrived but taken them down since it was right above her crib.  Now that I'm getting back into the swing of things I realized I need my boards back.  I searched Pinterest for some inspiration on inspiration boards (lol).  I love the organized boards (I love organization) but when it comes to this kind of stuff I like to have images everywhere.  This is project would be great for you.  You can create one big board with everything or break it up into several categories.  Here are a few ideas for creating your vision/inspiration board(s).
1. Fashion-What you like now/How you want to dress?
2. Savings-What are saving for/What do you want to save for?
3. Hobby(s)-What is your hobby now/What is a new interest you would like to pursue?
4. Fitness-Whats your fitness goals/Whats your ideal body image (Please be realistic on this one.  If you have a Beyonce body shape don't put up images of women who have a Chanel Iman body shape.  Lets not set ourselves up).
5. Home-What home improvements do you want to do?
6. Personal-Do you want to spend more time with family/travel more?
This is just a few ideas for getting your boards together.  When you see an image, a color, a piece of fabric, etc that you like put it on your board(s).  You can use anything to create your board(s).  Cork boards, card stock, or just your wall will do fine.  Let me know if you create your board(s).

Much Love & Fashion Fun,

Tea Todd

 

all images above from Pinterest.com

NEW YEARS EVE

The new year is upon us again.  The older I get the faster the year seems to go by.  Now is the time to reflect and see if I have accomplished my goals for 2013 and to figure out what needs to change for 2014.  One of my new goals is to dress up more.  I love glamour.  There's no need to wait for special occasions to wear something fabulous.  Here are three dress inspirations for you.  Sequins is all that is needed to stand out at the party this year.  Which look is your favorite?

Much Love & Fashion Fun,

Tea Todd

NEW YEARS EVE by goofygyrl21

NEW YEARS EVE by goofygyrl21

NEW YEARS EVE by goofygyrl21

THE HOLIDAYS

I love this time of year.  The weather starts to cool down, eggnog is sold in stores, & everyone tends to be a little nicer.  Each year my cousin and I look forward to Starbucks Sea Salt Carmel Hot Chocolate.  This drink is so popular where we live that most of the time they run out of the sea salt before the new year.  It's such a bummer.  Well it's time to change things.  Since having JuJu I want to make sure we start our own traditions.  Making my own signature hot chocolate is one tradition I will start in my home.  I found this recipe from How sweet it is and fell in love.   Never-mind it's loaded with calories, it's HOT CHOCOLATE!  This recipe will sure be a favorite of JuJu's (my daughter) and MT's (my husband) for years to come.  MT loves coconut.  I'll just personalize it to make it my own.  You can find the full recipe here.  Enjoy!

Much Love & Fashion Fun,

Tea Todd

Ingredients:

4 (13 oz) cans full-fat coconut milk
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut
frosting to rim the mugs
whipped cream or
coconut whipped cream for topping
marshmallows for topping