Mermaidens 3rd Anniversary + Tiny Hands Jewelry Giveaway

It's hard not to get soppy when talking about something that has impacted your life in an incredibly positive way, so I apologize in advance for this post! Though in many ways the past three years of my life have been some of the most trying, they have also been some of the happiest because of this little blog.

I started blogging three years ago with no plans, no distinguishable voice, and pretty subpar content - but slowly and surely, Mermaidens grew into a space I pour my heart into, that truly represents me and the things I am passionate about.

It is really mind boggling to think of all the wonderful things that have happened because of Mermaidens - especially when I still almost can't even believe anybody reads it at all! I have been lucky enough to establish some of the most meaningful relationships in my life with dazzlingly bright people who I admire deeply, worked with brands, designers, photographers, and artists I absolutely adore, and my self worth and confidence have increased tenfold since I started (something that means the world to me as someone who has self image and anxiety issues) - all because of Mermaidens!

If you have been a reader for years or just started following yesterday, thank you thank you thank you for being part of my life. I really can't express how lucky and thankful I am to each and every one of you!

OKAY ENOUGH OF THAT ;___; As a way of saying thank you, Mei from Tiny Hands Jewelry generously accepted to holding a giveaway in honor of the special occasion! One lucky Mermaidens' reader will win $50 to her darling shop. Mei's downright adorable food themed jewelry is beautifully crafted and, get this, it's scented. Simply enter the giveaway using the widget below! This giveaway is open internationally and ends August 30th, 2014. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ice Cream Float

DRESS: c/o Dahlia NECKLACE: c/o I Love Crafty PURSE: c/o Kling SHOES: ℅ Kling

A frequent favorite of mine, British clothing brand Dahlia has truly outdone themselves with this dress - ETA: and it's now on sale! I am so smitten with it because the style reminds me of several different time periods: the Edwardian era's "demure" high collars, but calling to mind the liberated flappers from the 1920s as they started trading in the restrictive corsets for dropped waists and inching towards shorter and shorter skirts. Zelda Sayre right before and after she met F. Scott Fitzgerald is a perfect example!

It ended up reading more 1960s when I styled it - with my slightly heavy-handed mascara and eyeliner application (… oops) and pop art accessories - another one of my favorite eras for clothing! I was actually slightly apprehensive about how it would look on me (I'm always a tiny bit nervous to stray from my favorite tight waist, flared skirt silhouette), but I'm absolutely in love with how it looked on ♥

I wore what has become the cutest necklace in my stash - this sprinkled donut piece by I Love Crafty! I have been a fan of I Love Crafty for years now, and Laura continues to blow me away with her talent and excellent taste!

And finally, my matching cloud print shoes and purse are from another brand that has become a fast favorite of mine, Kling! I am always a huge fan of novelty prints, and the graphic, technicolor cloud print on these is a dream.

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! ♡

What's In My Bag for ModCloth

^^^ CLICK ^^^

Sadly, making videos isn't something I've perfected yet - not by a long shot - but when ModCloth contacted me asking if I could share a "What's in My Bag" video, I had to say yes. Click the picture above if you fancy seeing me in bad lighting list what I carry around with me everyday!

Kling Cloud Purse * | Jump From Paper Wallet * | Fred Flare Heart Sunglasses (similar)
Bubblegum | Zero Gravity Phone Case * | Topshop Whimsical Lipstick
F21 Cat Compact (similar) | Bobby Pins | EOS Lip Balm

WEARING: Dress ℅ Missguided, Sweet & Lovely Collar Clips, Locketship Bow

Mermaidens 2.0

After months in development, I am so happy to finally unveil Mermaidens' brand new layout. As much as I loved the old one, I've had it for over two years and wanted a more clean design and brand new header. The stars aligned when Sibylline (thank you so much again Sibylline! <3) allowed me to use the amazing illustration she did of me for the header and everything else just fell into place!

Header Portrait by Sibylline Meynet // Layout Template by Designs Blue Moon

There are still a few little bugs in the code (that is what happens when you hardly know CSS and relying on google for help making adjustments...), but I plan to fix those in this week. Please let me know what you think! ♡

#ShareACoke

I've been meaning to drag my beautiful friend Mikayla in front of the camera with me for ages, and the perfect opportunity came knocking when Coke extended their invitation to "Share a Coke" with a friend this summer to me! Coke sent two custom-made, personalized bottles with our names printed on them my way. Having an uncommon spelling of my name, I would never find my moniker on those personalized keychains at souvenir shops - so imagine how exciting it was to see "Kailey" printed on a Coke bottle…!

This spring, I actually made a blink and you'll miss it cameo in Coke's This Is Ahh commercial. Even though I'm only in it for a split second (at around 5 seconds in - can you see me?), getting tweets from readers and friends who spotted me in the ad on TV or in theaters was absolutely unreal!

I'm Wearing: SWEATER: Forever 21 (old; similar at Hello Holiday) SKIRT: c/o Choies (similar) SHOES Wal-Mart
HEAD SCARF: ModCloth (similar)

Mikayla and I drank our cokes while eating huge slices of pizza and strawberry sundaes, and later when we went to the thrift stores where we looked through racks and racks of clothing! All in all, a pretty perfect summer day ☀

Who would you like to share a coke with this summer? ♡

Snapshots

Summer is in full bloom, and with the beautiful sun and flowers comes allergies and melting from heat (no air conditioning ahhh!). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to create new blog posts in a while for you guys, so I thought a lil update was in order!

An incredibly talented artist, I've been head over heels in love with Sibylline Meynet's dreamy pieces since I first saw her Adventure Time illustrations circling tumblr months ago. Not only did Sibylline draw me (I almost cried when it popped up on my instagram feed...!), but she sent me the original drawing when I bought her darling pastel dolls pins and Adventure Time stickers! Truly one of the most magical parcels I've ever received - and Sibylline's drawing of me now hangs in my office framed - is that vain?! ;)

I've always loved film photography, but have been so intimidated by it to really pursue learning how to use film cameras - so I finally caved and bought a Fujifilm Instax Mini figuring it would be a good way to start experimenting! And I am absolutely in love - all of my pictures are digital, and being able to hold physical copies of your photos without printing them is such a luxury! There is a bit of a learning curve (I'm so spoiled with digital - taking a billion pictures at once until it's perfect hehe), but overall really easy to use! I can't wait to take more and hopefully get better *__*

July Fourth makeup! // Current uniform: f21 blouse, American Apparel tennis skirt, Modcloth purse & ASOS bag // Manicure of choice this summer: watermelons to match my shorts! // Being a busy bee and wearing these darling Hello Holiday glasses!

I have a bunch of exciting things up my sleeve - watch this space!

How's your summer so far? Have anything fun planned? <3