My Top 5 Posts of All Time

My Top 5 Posts of All Time

Recently I was checking my blog stats to see which posts have been the most popular. Since I regularly get new readers, I thought you might like to see what readers have liked (come back to, read, shared, pinned) in the past almost year of my writing this blog. Here are snippets of my Top 5 Blog Posts of all time!

1. Jeans and a T-shirt Upstyled

Today I'm talking about two of my favorite things: t-shirts and jeans! As my best friends and husband will tell you, I love t-shirts. I may have too many of them, actually, but this isn't about me! Right?

I have many clients, including Miss Mustard Seed, who are creative people who work for themselves and it makes most sense for them to dress casually and comfortably. I also have many clients who are active mothers and grandmothers, and they spend a lot of their time in casual, comfortable clothing, too. But, I think there is a way to be comfortable and wear what is actually (or essentially) a t-shirt and jeans and also reflect your personality and feel more polished. Here's how. Keep reading here.

2. The Post About Jennifer

Typically, my in-person client posts have less dramatic names, but I feel dramatic about this post and this client. Today's post is about Jennifer, my last client of 2013. If you follow me on instagram, you know that Jennifer was an incredibly special client.

To tell you about Jen, I first need to tell you that when I was driving to her house, I was more than a little worried that I was about to be kidnapped-or worse. Or at the very least punked. I take safety precautions before going into anyone's home, but on that day I had extra measures in place. You see, the email that Jennifer's husband sent to me (the day after Veterans' Day!) was, well, seemingly too-good-to-be-true. Here is an excerpt:

I am requesting a personal home and shopping experience for my wife.  She read about you on one of her favorite sites... Mrs. Mustard Seed.  Her 40th Birthday is December 9th and I am throwing her a surprise get together with a few friends on the 7th.  THE ONLY THING SHE WANTS FOR HER BIRTHDAY IS AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOU :)!

My wife is a very special person to everyone, but especially to me.  You see...I am a retired disabled vet.  I went through (and continue to suffer from) medical issues caused while serving.  Just diagnosing the issues was a long drawn out process that took years and let alone the surgeries to try and resolve them.  My wife, Jen, was by my side through it all.  I am sure you have heard stories like that before, but to be honest she was more than by my side.  She saved my life...just by being the most awesome and supportive friend I have ever had.  

This person went on to describe that his wife, Jennifer, is also active military. While he can no longer work, she continues to serve. He told me that they were soul mates. He told me that he wanted to have his family pool together money for me to take her personal shopping in lieu of any other gifts. He wanted to know if I would accept her as a client. Accept her!? If she was real, I would marry her! (Side note: I waived my fee and had Jen add it to her spending amount, which I only mention to tell you that Jen's response was to ask me if I would reconsider and make it a fund for another woman to get six hours with me. She's amazing.)

That is how I ended up meeting Jennifer on the weekend before Christmas. She was real, and this is how she looked when I arrived..Continue reading here.

3. Halloween Costumes for Women Who Don't Want to be Naked?

Today's post is a bit different than the usual. We're talking about a very specific type of clothing to put on our bodies today: costumes! I find what to wear for Halloween to be increasingly complicated: I'm past the point of "going out" like I once did to a club or dancing, but I still want a fun costume. Our neighbors throw the best Halloween party (they start decorating their home over Labor Day weekend), and, oh yeah, it's my birthday...Read the rest here.

4. Reader Q&A: How to Wear Jean Skirts

Earlier this week, I Kelley posted a question for me in the comments section of my post about fresh ways to wear jeans, and I loved it!

Hi! I've not been following for a real long time, and I immensely enjoy your great advice and tips.
I don't wear jeans, but I do wear jean skirts. Could you do a post on jean skirts?
Been wearing more belts, Kelley

I love this question because  I think jean skirts have the potential to be a very versatile piece of clothing for every age, but I also think they can go downhill fast. Here's why.

5. Reader Q&A: What to Wear While I'm Pregnant

Yesterday, my best friend talked about what to wear during early maternity-and beyond-from a mother's perspective. I haven't ever been pregnant (and am not currently, just in case you were curious! Did you wonder?), but I have what might be an abnormal interest in maternity fashion. I just think that pregnant women can get away with things that the rest of us can't when it comes to clothes, and I love that! And there's nothing that says that you must wear clothes from a maternity store while you're pregnant. So darlin', here' are the five questions to ask yourself. Find them here.


That's it! My Top 5 posts of all time. I notice that you all tend to like posts written in response to reader questions and posts that tell a good story like Jennifer's. So please do continue to ask me questions via email or in the comments because other women are thinking the same thing and want to hear an answer! Keep it comin'! 

 

Working with Miss Mustard Seed

Working with Miss Mustard Seed

via MMS

The fact that I'm able to type that I styled Miss Mustard Seed yesterday is incredible to me. I literally had my husband pinch me last night after reading her gracious, energized post last night. Here is the back story on my end: I started reading her blog years ago when I lived in Chicago. Instead of reading wedding-specific blogs, I kept coming back to hers. Her color choices, the textures of her furniture, and her wisdom to women starting businesses kept me coming back for more. She was the one who inspired me to make so many elements of our wedding decor and to start decorating our condo in Chicago. I skimmed through her articles on blogging and starting a business because I didn't think they applied to me.

When we moved to Northern Virginia, I had no concept of geography. Then, one day, I read that Miss Mustard Seed would be going to the Lucketts Fair, which she listed as being in Northern Virginia. WHAT?! I stopped dead in my tracks. I could see her furniture somewhere in real life?! At this point, I didn't even imagine ever meeting her. Sadly, I was a day late. The fair was already over.

Undeterred, I decided that we would be visiting this magical land of Lucketts. And we did-we made the hour drive there a few weeks later, and I was amazed to see that Miss Mustard Seed had a new room there-full of her furniture, German glass glittered objects, tags, etc. I couldn't believe my good luck, and I stood in her space trying to soak up as much of her creativity as I could. Over the past two years, I met her at a subsequent fair and even attended a workshop she held in Pennsylvania.

Then, this summer, something clicked. I love my job, but I wanted an outlet for my creativity. I've always taken friends and family shopping, and I'd "done" a few friends' closets by that point. What if that could become...something? Miss Mustard Seed says to just start-that you don't need a ton of money (she didn't have it when she started!). You just need passion. So I took a leap of faith and just started-I created this blog, I put it out there, and I started working with people I didn't know. That's why this blog is called StartCloseIn. It's as much about my taking the first step as it is about you.

Then, she posted about her hard work in losing weight and getting healthier, and she mentioned something about not liking to shop. I stopped dead. Finally, after all that she had done for me without even knowing it, there was something I could help her with. I said a small prayer over my laptop and sent an email.

This is the result of that second leap of faith:

That's my business card. On her blog. Above the article that she wrote about our nearly four hours together. As I told my husband last night: I TIED MISS MUSTARD SEED'S SHOES TODAY! I know I sound like a creeper by this point, but those of you who admire her as much as I do will understand: this was huge for me.

She posted some incredible photographs of our time together, and I'm still better at making outfits than I am at snapping pictures, but here are some of the images that I did capture. You can also visit the Pinterest board I'll be adding to with inspiration for our personal shopping trip here.

 Before & After Closet Shots

Like most of us, she still had some clothes that don't fit her quite right, and we got the rest of those out of there. Then, after tossing clothes all around her room and making outfit after outfit using what she already owns, I hung outfits together (scarves included) to make them easy for her to grab and wear.

 

She has this great striped blazer that adds a splash of creativity to any look, even a basic black top. 

I convinced her to layer up these necklaces, and I love the result! 

All of my clients will be laughing and nodding their heads at this shot. 

There is always a point during  a personal styling session where your bedroom will look like this! Don't worry, it goes back inside the closet at the end!

While she changed into the next outfits in the bathroom, I laid out ideas for her wherever I could.

A jubilant selfie snapped before my drive home. 

Here is some of what she said about working with me

"When I first thought about working with a stylist, I was a little resistant to it, because it sounded so fancy and uppity.  But, I had the opportunity, so I went for it.  Ella’s approach was so down-to-earth, though.  She’s a big fan of TJ Maxx and Target and Kohl’s.  She wanted to work with everything I had before even mentioning buying something new.  In fact, her entire philosophy is about working with EXTRA-ordinary women…not celebrities and big wigs.  Just regular women who need a little (or a lot of help.)"

I'm incredibly honored to be working with Marian, and as a result I have decided to reduce what I had in mind for my initial price points. I want all of the readers who have been inspired by Miss Mustard Seed (her creativity, her help to other women, her weight loss...) to be able to work with me if you want. In person services are available in driving distance from Washington, DC, including NYC, PA, and NC.

For virtual sessions (outside of driving distance from Washington, DC), all you need is a video camera-either on your phone or your computer. Set it up to face wherever you have your clothes, and I'll walk you through outfits to try on and combinations to consider. It will be fun!

For virtual shopping, once I have a sense of your style and budget, I will turn my full attention to finding things you LOVE and want to wear all the time.

Contact me if you’d like to talk over what kind of fun we might have in your closet-in person or virtually! 

startclosein at gmail.com