5 To Follow

I decided to give you a  little post on some of the blogs I follow and start a new series of posts as I find new and exciting bloggers to follow! Here are a few bloggers who I am reading today,who I follow on Twitter, and why you should follow them too!

1. The first is California queenie @DaintyJea

Followers: 686 (a hidden gem!)

Jealeyni aka Dainty Jea

Jealeyni looks like the kind of gal who would  be fun to hang out with! Though the font on her site is a little hard to read, don't be dissuaded. Her outfits are really cute and bohemian-eclectic. And I just think she is adorable! She's only been blogging for a year and half, so that's probably why you don't know who she is (yet). This San Diego doll is going places! Check her out on her blog too!

2. The second blog is by actress Kirsten Prout, @kcprout 

Followers: 23,670

She posts cool vintage photos, records, yummy looking food, and make up. Definitely a quick read, with more photos of things than her pretty doll face, but pretty photos all the same!

So much nostalgia on Prout's blog! Gotta love it!

 Kirsten's blog Little Gypsy, Big Suitcase is already a big hit, so go check it out here.

3.  Our third read-of-the-day goes by the motto, "In beauty we trust!" It's Kara Manos better known as @Politics_Pretty

Followers: 2,527

Her bio does not say it all! ;)

Let's hear it for this D.C. dollface, whose blog sections include "bill of makeup rights," and "state of the face," alongside, "in hair products we trust." Puns and alliterations aside, this makeup maven is a serious sistah rocking out in Washington. Check out her blog, Politics Of Pretty here!

4. Number four on our list is San Francisco sweetie, Lucy Z. of @DAILYDISGUISE 

Followers: 812

Lucy, styling it up skinny in the street!

Her mottos? "Felines for happiness. Yoga for tranquility. Fashion to feed the soul." The blog is clean lined, easy on the eyes, and photo-rich with daily style updates. Her look is quirky-glam and I love it! Check out her blog here.

5. This maven mama rocks out in an everyday way, it's Marion of @Marionberry3!

Followers: 1,804

Soft colors in her backdrop let her fashion photos pop. This stylin' hot mama is a down to earth diva who is willing to swap embarrassing stories over a cup of cafe-au-lait (okay, so maybe I don't exactly know what's in that cup- but she will say so herself when it comes to telling embarrassing tales, she is the real deal!). Check out her blog here!

Who do you follow? Who else should I be following?

Twitter: @selenamarie318  

or LinkedIn Connect with a message: linkedin.com/in/selenamarienorris
Or reply in the comment section below!
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XOXO,

SELENA MARIE

Artist Spotlight: Greta Corens

Our newest artist spotlight is an accomplished fashion designer turned fine art water colorist, Greta Corens. 

"Roses In A Bunch" By Greta Corens

"Iris Joan Sutherland" By Greta Corens

Corens is as equally passionate and artistic in her way of life as she is in her way of speaking. She titles her pieces in the same emotive words of which her paintings represent- a colorful, glowing vocabulary of excitement balanced by a kind of soft romance with a decidedly European influence. Her work currently focuses on still lives, graphite portraits, and sepia tone nude figure paintings, but her most exquisite work by far is that of her watercolor floral depictions.

"Botanicals: Iris Rhapsody" By Greta Corens

 "Iris La Forza Del Destino" By Greta Corens

 "Iris Donatello" By Greta Corens

"Rosa di Jaques Brel" By Greta Corens

Corens' work has an ethereal quality. Her skills in floral painting can range from the depth of the velvety opacity of a rose petal to the evocative nature of beautiful x-rays with the translucence of sunlight shining through the petals of an iris, illuminating veins and features often difficult to portray in her chosen medium of water color. 

"Minuetto di Rose"  By Greta Corens

"Bouquet Romantique" By Greta Corens

Ms. Corens will be an associate member of the American Watercolor Society for 2014. She received second prize at a juried show in the Bendheim Gallery in Greenwich, CT with her piece, "Bouquet Romantique" and is currently available for gallery showcases.

You can view her website or contact her here and read her artist statement below:

GRETA CORENS New York

"Red Rose Of Longing"  By Greta Corens

"She was a sought after fashion designer in New York 

and she has taught the principles of design in various

Westchester, NY institutes. Her still life paintings in 

watercolors and oils are influenced by baroque Dutch 

Golden Age Flower paintings. She studied Architecture and 

Design at St. Lucas Institute of Architecture in Brussels

and Art at the Antwerp Royal Art Academy in Belgium. As 

President of the prestigious Reilly League of Artists, NY 

she has held master classes."

Greta Corens is also a continuing contributor to the Mudpie Fashion, Trends, and Culture Linkedin Group of which I am a moderator. Please join us in discussion here, or there. 

Contact me if you are an artist or know an artist that should be featured.

**UPDATE: Please check out the September 2013 Artist Showdown: Resto Vs. Corens here for rules and how to vote.**

Twitter: @selenamarie318  

or LinkedIn Connect with a message: linkedin.com/in/selenamarienorris
Or reply in the comment section below!
And please don't forget to subscribe or follow by email! There's a spot in the side bar! ------->

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

XOXO,

SELENA MARIE

The Haley Boutique: Rogers, AR

Some of the Haley Boutique's accessories and undergarments merchandised on a Parson's style table display.

My coworker, Carly has been going on and on about how cute this shop is, and since they are having a Christmas in July sale right now, my friend Kristin and I decided to check it out.



Me, shopping: butterfly sequin top (thrifted), black denim shorts, Tahari sandals.

 5 out of 5 for overall presentation 

and special touches

The store is reasonably priced with items ranging from about $25-80. Almost everything that was on sale was about 75% off. I got some pretty sweet deals! More on those pieces soon... in the mean time I thought I would share some photos with you of the store. Thanks to the associates who gave permission to photograph!

Helen (center) was the one who helped me first. All the girls were very nice and helpful!

First of all, I have to say, the storefront was in a strip mall, which would normally make it hard for a  newer place like this to stand out, but they had a bubble machine outside the open doors, which added to the fun atmosphere. When I entered the shop, there was a cute butterfly display on the right and some free mini-cupcakes on the left for customer to enjoy. I thought that was a nice touch.



Cute: Cupcakes for shoppers!

The store associates were just the right amount of helpful. They weren't too pushy like some boutiques can be, though they were eager to take the items off my hands and put them in a dressing room for me so I didn't have to shop with my arms full. Before I knew it, I had picked out ALOT of clothes. But no worries, they didn't rush me in and out of the dressing room. As I tried things on, if I didn't want something, I set them outside the door, and they seemed to magically disappear (again, very helpful).

The dressing room area with a lovely accessories display!

 Once my friend Kristin had finished shopping, they held her items at the counter while I continued to try things on. She wasn't stuck being bored waiting for me because there was a nice little seating area with magazines outside of the dressing room space. I love the look of the nook which featured accessories merchandised to look sort of like little cubes with pieces of art lit up inside.

Seating area with magazines for Kristin to read while I tried more clothes on!

The only downside I found was that there were a few items on the racks that had some makeup on them (but barely- I mean my eye is trained as a technical designer to see this, and my bet is that the associates just hadn't seen it yet to spot clean or remove). This can be the case at any store that ladies shop at, so it didn't bug me too much.

Statement necklaces hanging from a clear acrylic jewelry display behind the couch. Modern fixtures accented the dusty green space.

Overall I would give the store a 5 out of 5 for overall presentation and special touches (like playing Christmas pop music for their Christmas in July sale, the mini-cupcakes, mint green tissue paper around my items, and the bubble machine). As a fashion insider, I would say the store owners put a lot of work into making this place a go-to place for local shoppers.

Bonus: One more thing, students get a 10% discount!

It didn't apply to me, however, because I am not in school. I already got a sweet discount because of the sale: I got about $400 worth of clothing for 93 bucks! I would definitely go back at sale time and I think it would be worth checking out again, even if there isn't a sale, when I need to find a cute new outfit for work or play.

I loved their selection of studded purses!

Great atmosphere.  Nice associates.  Pretty selection.

I highly recommend you check it out! See their Facebook page for more information.

*Please note: This was not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.*

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Twitter: @selenamarie318  

or LinkedIn Connect with a message: linkedin.com/in/selenamarienorris
Or reply in the comment section below!
And please don't forget to subscribe or follow by email! There's a spot in the side bar! ------->

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

XOXO,

Selena Marie