Wow, where did this year go? I wanted to take a moment to share with you a little bit of my roots. No, not my dirty dishwater looking ones that now have two gray hairs, my family ones;).
Growing up in a middle class household has it’s downfalls and it’s perks. I was born with the desire to have a PLATINUM spoon, but was given a wooden one. 😉 Little did I know, 20 years later the skills I learned as a “always wanting more than I had” child would help me pave a successful and rewarding career. I come from a creative family and money was never stable. My mom was a pattern maker/fashion designer and my father was/is a songwriter.
Since we were on a budget, I had to make do with what we had. If I wanted to have costumes for the weekly dance show my friends and I would put on, then I had to take my moms left over material from her job and staple them together. It was sooo much fun creating! My mom also made all of our Halloween costumes . For Christmas gifts my mom would take plain t-shirts and sweatshirts and we would squiggle paint our gifts to FABULOUSNESS.
If I wanted extra money for candy and stickers, I had to have a lemonade stand on the corner or put my cats, dog, frog, and turtle in cages on the lawn and call it a circus. I would charge people in the neighborhood to come look at my animals…LOL!
If I wanted back- to-school clothes my mom gave me a strict budget that never satisfied my need FOR FASHION. I remember looking at piles of clothes that I wanted and only going home with my TOP picks. The older girls in the neighborhood would often give me their hand-me-downs too. I remember rummaging through those clothes and making them fit even if I had to tie a side knot in the side of the shirts. HAHAHAHA! Anyone remember those?
We would always go to yard sales and find items and then reinvent them. Whether it was a reupholstered chair or a new paint job for a table…we could make anything look NEW and SHINY.
One of the perks of growing up with not an abundance of money, you are resourceful. Check out those chairs! I could have bought new chairs but I knew that if my mom and I did our make-over magic we would be proud…and have fun. Don’t they look FAB?! If the chairs had a soul, they would be gleefully dancing in their new STYLISH attire.
As an adult, I followed in my my parents creative footsteps and have always pursued the “American Dream”. Previously, as a stand-up comedian I had to do the same. I made funny costumes out of Goodwill finds that would make people laugh. For auditions and Hollywood parties I would have to look stylish on a starving artists’ budget. IT BLEW!
Today as a personal stylists aka reinventer aka confidence booster aka Ms. Magic Make-over it’s important to always look my best. I still can’t afford to walk into Neiman’s and buy a 30,000.00 dress…and I don’t NEED to!* I can tear up the discounts stores and look like I spend thousands.
All the tools I soaked in from reinventing and polishing in my past, I NOW put to good work…literally. You may be frustrated about something now, yet to find, it will be SUPER DUPER useful for your benefit in the future. There hasn’t been one person that I haven’t been able to POLISH and SHINE. Even if they came to me SUPER FASHIONABLE, I still see a “hidden trick” that could make them look even better.
The smiles and sweet emails I get from clients who have hired me to do what I have been doing since I was 6 are worth all the childish lusting and pains from never being materially satisfied as a child/young adult. I’m so happy I didn’t grow up with money and had to budget, make up ways to earn money, and reinvent items to LOOK FAB! Thank you God for blessing me with the family I have…and now all the skills I attained to help people LOOK and FEEL like a million bucks.
Thank you to all my clients that have trusted me in creating and reinventing their personal style. Thank you to everyone who refers me people to help. Thank you to my colleagues/mentors/friends that lend me a helping hand along the way. Thank you to Mattie for catching me when I fall. Thanks to mi familia’ for not giving me everything I wanted and loving me unconditionally!
*Note: For the record: If anyone wants to buy me a dress from Neiman’s OR GIFT a 30,000.00 shopping spree I would TOTALLY accept. I would even accept a $500.00 gift certificate to Loehmann’s or $50.00 one to T.J. Maxx. Seriously, I could buy a whole season’s worth of FAB fashion for that.;).
PS. My mom is the queen of reinvention. From chairs, to driveways, to painting the house(outside and in), to being my personal tailor all these years…she can do it!
PPS. If you are in LA and would like me to style you for a holiday party, shop for you seasonally, gift a loved one with a service, or make you over completely just call me! I can help via Skype too. 100% style satisfaction guaranteed.
PPPS. Nothing against people who were born with a silver spoon. I just was brought into this world with a “materialistic mindset” for some reason. I would of been a spoiled little brat if I had access to everything. ;)It’s just awesome the way life works out.
HAPPY NOVEMBER! Make sure to tell your community/friends/family/influential figures in your life how thankful you are for them!
