The million dollar question in life. How do you balance it all?! A while back I was feeling super uninspired with stories and asked what you all wanted to see on Instagram. There were quite a few requests to share more BTS like life updates. Others also requested BTS on what it’s like running an ETSY shop. Some also wanted to know how do I balance a job and two small businesses.

How I Balance Working Full Time, Running a Small Business and Blogging

I am not sure there is one true *answer* for this because I think we can all agree life can get insane, busy and hectic sometimes. For today’s post, I am going to do my best to describe how I split my time/balance working a full-time job, running an ETSY Shop and blogging!

The simplest answer would be that I really don’t. Some days I feel tossed by the wind and cannot focus on one task. Sometimes, all the to-do’s are running through my head. There is some organization to the madness though. It’s amazing how much more time you have to get tasks accomplished. Especially if you prioritize your time, block schedule and not get sucked into Netflix/scrolling on social media.

One of the best tips I could give would be to concentrate on 2 specific tasks at a time. For me that would be working on a project or task for Island Jay during the day. Then concentrating on one task for either my blog or my ETSY shop once I am finished with work. I absolutely cannot focus on all 3. If I work hard on blog posts during Sunday, my ETSY shop gets less attention and vice versa.

Right now, I work full-time at Island Jay, run the Sunshine Style Co. ETSY shop and run this blog, Sunshine Style. My ETSY shop and blog are tied together. I use my blog and Instagram to promote my ETSY shop, new blog posts and style content.

How Many Hours Do I Spend On Each One?

For my main job at Island Jay. I can work anywhere from 25-40 hours a week. How many hours I work each day and week are always different depending on how busy we are.

For blogging, I spend about 5-15 hours writing blog posts. This includes “online shopping”, promoting on social media, creating Instagram stories and making reels.

My ETSY shop I spend about 5-10 hours a week.

Working Full Time for Island Jay

My main job is working for Island Jay. It’s a beach apparel and accessories company for parrot heads, those who love the beach life and enjoy drinking before 5, haha! This is how I make the majority of my income and can pour my own money into growing my small business. It’s always my main priority during the work week. I am our customer service manager and run our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Before I started this remote position last April, I had prayed for a job exactly like this one. It’s remote and a very flexible job. I can stay away from my computer for an hour to two and record a new reel, shoot blog or ETSY product photos or write a blog post before work. The flexibility is 100% the main reason I can juggle all 3 without loosing my mind. My job is in e-commerce/retail, so some weeks/months it’s insane and others sales are super slow. This allows me to dedicate more time to my businesses. Everyday I am grateful I have a job like this where I can grow my ETSY shop and blog!

Blogging

Oh, I just love my little blog! It’s truly a labor of love. There have been months were I would blog almost everyday or at least 3-4 times a week and I felt so proud. After a while, I realized I cannot keep up with that and since this is not my full-time job, I had to let those expectations go. I work on new blog posts on Sundays in the morning or before I start work for Island Jay during the work week. My writing flows best in the mornings so I try to use that to get lots of writing done.

How I Monetize without LTK

This was a question from Instagram! I actually have LikeToKnowIt (@sunshinestyleblog), I just do not actively promote it. As a brand, I want all of my traffic to come to my website. Instead of sending traffic to the app, I send it to my website. If you click the “Shop My Instagram” tab on my website, you will see all the outfits and sale picks on a LTK Widget that I past onto my website for easy shopping.

Reward Style is like LTK’s sister. The two work together to make it easier on bloggers and shoppers. I use Reward Style’s links to link to the majority of products on my website. If you click on a link on my website and buy something, I make a very small commission. Let’s say I post this $39.99 yellow Target dress. I will make a $2.24 commission. That means I have to sell 18 dresses just to make $40.

Numbers aren’t everything but the more engaged audience you have, the most you will make. It is not a get rich quick scheme at all! Bloggers who do it full time work super hard! I actually make more money with my ETSY shop right now.

How I Deal With Tech/Maintenance

Tech and accouting are my least favorite parts about running a business. As soon as I grow enough to hire experts, I will! Basically I get my domain from BlueHost and pay for a website host. If this is flying over your head, Youtube is a great teacher!

Through local connections, I have a small tech business who hosts my website. If I ever have issues, I will reach out to Alberto who owns the company (we met years ago and he helped design my website when I first re-branded) and have him fix errors. Rarely do I need his help but when I do, it’s included in what I pay him yearly. If I were a bigger brand or company I would be hiring out for tech help to not ruin my website or delete important info!

How to Create New and Interesting Blog Content

Oh, creating new content is always something that is at the top of my mind! Sometimes inspiration will hit when I am in the shower, driving or working. Usually I try to plan around each season. Spring and Summer are most in line with my brand and what I like to say, “time for my brand to shine!”.

Sometimes it’s not that profound. I will order a new dress or cute shoes and create a new post all about that outfit, style or trend. Like next week I have a post going up with a new J.Crew Gingham print dress and most likely will include a few other cute gingham print pieces.

Taking polls on Instagram is always helpful too! When I ask what you want to see or need help styling, I usually get great feedback! Someone asked for affordable preppy outfits and that sparked a bunch of new ideas and tells me you want to see sale finds and budget friendly pieces. I just wrote a new post all about affordable long sleeved tops that was sparked by that question.

What It’s Like to Sell on an ETSY Shop

Selling on ETSY has been a huge learning curve! For those who are new, I handmake coastal and resort inspired accessories! I had to learn how to upload products, take clear and bright product photos, pricing, ETSY ads, shipping fees and I even created a @sunshinestyle.co account to promote new products!

I run this small business super part-time. During my lunch breaks are usually when I will sew and fulfill orders. USPS will pick them up from my mailbox in the afternoon, so the pressure is on to get the order packed before the mail truck shows up! Orders are pretty consistent and I get a few a week. Weekends are when I will try out new designs like the Gingham Knot headbands!

What Type of Fees does ETSY have?

Their main fees are listing fees, transaction fees and shipping fees. Shipping costs around $3 (for the items I ship) and the other fees start at $.20 and go up to $2.00. When I list a new product, I will be charged $.20 and when a customer buys a products, I can be charged up to $2.00 for the transaction.

Before I switch over to my own website, I wanted to start on ETSY for the ease! You cannot beat a platform that already has millions of users on it daily and the fees are super reasonable as I grow and learn more about a product based business.

You can also pay for ETSY ads that start at $1/day and max out at $25. I tried ETSY ads and was loosing money and not actually getting enough sales to generate a profit from them so I stopped them. I have enough of a social media following, I can promote my products for free and have just as much success! As I grow more or start my own website, ads are definitely something I know will be worth it for an advertising fee, especially Facebook ads!

How Do I Design New Products?

If I am being completely truthful, the first striped scrunchies I ever made were designed from striped seersucker fabric I bought at Hobby Lobby at a great price! There was no fancy design concept and I used what I had. I had a budget, limited fabric was available during Covid and knew I wanted to keep in line with my brand by makin colorful and coastal scrunchies! Once I found the striped fabric that matched my brand, I got to work!

To save time and generate excitement over my products, I decided to start releasing small collections with accessories that match and enhance each other. So far I have released a striped, citrus and gingham collection! The next collection I will release will be a coastal collection for summer. Between then I will probably introduce a few bold striped headbands and fruit accessories! I really just focus on trends, seasons and pretty much wing it hoping it will work!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

Let me know if you have any other questions! I would love to add them!

The post How I Balance Working Full Time, Running a Small Business and Blogging appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Brittany from Bleu Bee Designs reached out to me asking if I would like to collaborate and of course I said yes! We both have a love for coastal design, fashion and live in Florida! She is a interior stylist and designer, lives in Jacksonville and actually grew up in my hometown! I’m excited to meet her in person for lunch next week. =)

We decided to dive full into summer mode and combine our love of the Florida coast with summer style and home decor tips. I created two summer outfit collages and she created a casual coastal home design setup with one of the summer dresses as her inspiration! I love how you can combine style and decor together and make beautiful spaces! This is totally getting me in the mood for summer and I hope it does the same to you!

Coastal Style with Sunshine Style X Blue Bee Designs

Embroidered Kaftan & Swim Ready Resort Wear:

H&M Dress / Sunshine Tienda Hat / Earrings / Sunglasses / Sandals / Bag / Swimsuit Top + Bottoms

How beautiful is that embroidered kaftan dress?! Sadly it’s since sold out but check your local stores, they always have a big in store selection! Brittany used this blue and white dress as her coastal home decor inspiration!

This is an outfit that can be worn to a resort poolside or a warm weather beach vacation! It’s also one of those outfits that can go from day to night. Beach cover up during the day, casual dress with espadrilles at night! If it’s snowing by you, this should give you plenty of summer vibes to look forward to.

Blue Gingham Dress With White & Raffia Details

J.Crew Gingham Dress / Hat / Earrings / Scrunchie / Bag / Sneakers

Gingham has been calling my name lately. Just yesterday, I released a new Gingham collection including this blue scrunchie. So I ordered this dress during J.Crews big 40% off sale (really hoping I don’t regret not waiting till Easter weekend to shop the sales). There’s been tons of new dresses that I have not truly loved. This gingham one caught my heart right away though. Everything from the ruffled sleeves to the three tiers. It makes the most amazing spring to summer dress that I would style with sneakers or sandals and lots of raffia accessories.

Coastal Style Home Decor With Blue Bee Designs

Pink Marsh Scene Painting / Coral Table / Cane Back Armchairs / Green and Blue Throw Pillows / Tan and White Throw Pillow / Faux Fiddle Leaf Vase / Chandelier / Navy Blue Buffet / Abstract Neon Art / Beach Cottage Paint Pallette by Sherwin Williams

Brittany designed the most beautiful coastal inspired space. I can totally picture wearing that dress relaxing with a good book, cup of tea and feet up while relaxing in the rattan chairs with the prettiest beach in the background!

Be sure to follow Brittan on Instagram for more design inspiration at @bleubeedesigns_!

Also for more coastal inspired style, see my favorite beach outfits and coastal travel guides HERE.

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post Coastal Style with Sunshine Style X Blue Bee Designs appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

A recap of the year is one of my favorite posts to write and put together! It’s always so fun to look back, see all the good that’s happened, how I grew, lessons learned, understanding how to deal with unmet expectations and to get excited for the new year and all the possibilities it can lead to. Does anyone else love even numbers?! Not that 2021 won’t be a great year but 2022 sounds so much better to me!

2020 started off pretty yuck for me. I was on a short term teaching contract at a local high school and truly hated it. I don’t even like to use that word! But I tried teaching an older grade thinking it might make me happier than teaching middle school and it was the most dreadful morning commute knowing I’d have to go and teach. No matter how hard I tried to make the best of the situation, it just was not working.

In early January, I was called into the principals office (uh oh, ha!) and was told that my last day teaching would be January 17th. Since my contract was short term, I knew I could be “terminated” at any time and my job was not guaranteed. When he told me my last day, I felt nothing but relief and was literally so happy. Naturally I am more of a risk taker and not having a job didn’t concern me as I saved a bunch knowing the future was very unknown.

So basically 2019-early 2020 were not my favorite and I had been looking for a full-time job for over a year. It came with lots of self doubt, sadness and feeling constantly defeated. Then the pandemic came and it pretty much threw off any plans I had. God kept reminding me that even with so much uncertainty, there were still possibilities!

2020 actually turned out to be better for me than 2019 and for that I will be forever grateful. I’ve seen it from both sides, for some 2020 was truly a heartbreaking and tough year and for others, it brought some of the most joyous and happiest moments. Just know, if 2020 was tough, I have been praying for you and there are better things to come!

January

It’s weird to type out “pre-Covid” and pretty much “post-Covid”. January to March were pretty normal. I went to Florida State University for college and have always wanted to take a trip back. During my Christmas Break, my sister, friend Makayla and I drove 5 hours to Tallahassee to go and explore my old stomping grounds! It was a fun, quick trip and we got to enjoy some cold weather! That’s the infamous Westcott Fountain in the photo above!

In December, I wrote an article for Space Coast Living magazine all about embracing the holiday season. I was super proud of this accomplishment and it was my second article to write for them. It just felt so professional! It’s under my January column because I think I didn’t pick up a copy of the magazine until the next month!

February

There’s not many photos of what I did BTS in February but so much of my time was spent job hunting, writing resumes, reading books and going on interviews. My plate was pretty full and I was determined to find a job in Palm Beach. I interviewed for a bunch of companies down South and waited a bunch and practiced lots of patience. If only I knew what was about to hit in March.

I also spent time creating a website/photography portfolio and launched The Sunshine Studio to offer social media management and photography to clients and small businesses. Turns out my instincts were right and landed my first client shooting branded product photography for her.

Something really fun that happened was that I got to do an Instagram takeover for my local LOFT store! They released a bunch of Spring styles and had me come in, style a few looks and shoot them for their Instagram. Tonya is awesome and she helped shoot some of the photos on my phone! We had lots of fun and I think I was there for over 5 hours!

To be completely transparent, I was not paid a dime. This is a hard reality for me to swallow in the “influencer” industry. Sometimes to grow, it means doing things for free and other times, I feel like the work that goes into a job or opportunity, bloggers/influencers are not completely valued. Imagine going to work and bring asked to do a 5 hour project then they give you a free product or a discount to buy one of their products! The ROI is not always worth the work/time.

Of course, I’m super grateful and it does help build my “blogger resume” and I said yes because I LOVE LOFT and used to work there. It’s also a great lesson and helps me ask hard questions like, “Is this opportunity worth the work? Are both brands getting something out of this? How does this bring value to my readers?”. This is a good example of the glamour behind Instagram! Maybe I need to be a trailblazer and change this with my own brand!

March

Oh March…we had no idea what was coming! During the beginning of the month, I met up with Emily and Hailey, a few Florida blogger friends to shoot some photos for Space Coast Living Magazine. We had a blast at The Colony Palm Beach on a rare cold morning taking photos in our swimsuits.

Just a few short weeks later, life kind of turned upside down. Pretty much everything was a blur and I don’t remember much from here to June ha! What I do remember was feeling happy that I got to travel to Palm Beach and took those photos just in the nick of time!

Oh April! I turned 30 in April and wanted to have a Covid-30 Birthday party to make light of the situation. Everything in Florida was officially closed and we were spending all of our time at home, so I thought…why not?!

One really great thing that happened was that I landed a new job working in e-commerce for Island Jay. After so much unknown the beginning of the year and job searching, I finally felt at peace with my next step and loved the company. With everyone at home, online ordering was insane. The company was experiencing crazy growth and it kept me busy the entire summer learning all the ins and outs.

June

Look, I skipped May ha! Really, I don’t remember what happened between those few months. Looking in my phone, there is nothing noteworthy to share about! My article and the Space Coast Living magazine photos came out in the June issue which was exciting! This is also the month I started planning and preparing to sell my handmade scrunchies. I made the blue striped I’m wearing in the photo above and tested it out for the month to make sure the quality was up to my standards!

July

July was a really exciting month! I launched Sunshine Style Co. and mailed out my first scrunchie orders! Work was super buy all summer long and I felt like I was working non-stop in a good way. It kept me occupied and I also started to help manage the Island Jay Facebook and Instagram pages. Everything that was happening was super exciting and I felt nothing but overwhelming gratitude and happiness. For so long, I’ve prayed and prayed to work in e-commerce and start my own business and it was happening right before my eyes!

AUGUST

My sister got engaged in August and found her wedding dress just weeks after! This photo was taken after she said, “Yes to the dress!”. We all wore matching shirts from ETSY. Hers says Bride and ours say, Brides Babes.

Like, I mentioned, things I have prayed for for so long were all happening so fast. Shore Bags, a sustainable coastal brand, had reached out to me to shoot and style some of their bags back when I was teaching and I didn’t have the time. During quarantine I reached back out and was able to create a bunch of content for them! The screenshot above was their main header image of me holding one of their bags!

SEPTEMBER

Again, not much happened in September. Work was not as insane as summer, places were opening back up and I started making handmade scrunchies and matching face mask sets! One of my friends on Insta made the suggestion to create matching masks and it was a great idea. They were instantly a hit!

I spent time figuring out ways to grow my new business and was just excited and happy to be able to create fun accessories. My family and I also started watching Outlander and we became obsessed! Anyone else love Claire and Jamie?

OCTOBER

After spending so much time at home I was so ready to get out and explore. my friend Ashley and I planned a quick trip down to Palm Beach for the weekend! We stayed in Lake Worth at an Air Bnb, went to the beach and rode bikes! I wrote a helpful guide on what to do in Palm Beach in less than 24 hours that also recaps our trip and gives some fun activities and places to eat at for a day trip.

November

I guess you could say my family and I had the travel bug. We decided to rent a cabin in North Georgia and celebrate Thanksgiving together! There ended up being 11 of us and we had the best time hiking, playing games, sitting by the fire in the cabin and exploring the 20 acre property we stayed on. The trip was so much fun, I was genuinely super sad to leave and wanted to stay longer!

Bealls Florida reached out to me for a fall campaign and I got to shop some of their fall decor and clothes in store and style it for Instagram! This was a really awesome opportunity that I was so grateful for and got excited every time I truly felt like this blogging thing and all the work is actually paying off!

December

Didn’t December just end?! Recapping January felt like it was soooo long ago and also like it just happened. December felt normal for the most part. The scrunchie business was going really great in Dec (Hey Christmas orders) and it got me excited for what’s to come with my small business for 2021.

We had a drive by shower for my sister and had a blast! It was so much more fun than we expected. My friend Alyssa and I are her maid of honors and borrowed this photo backdrop from a friend who has tons of wedding props and decor!

My family and I ended the month with a small Christmas at home!

If your a new reader, you can check out my 2018 recap here and my 2019 recap here! Both include lessons I learned, reflections and helps you get to know me a bit better!

What I’m most grateful for are all the slow moments of 2020, like sitting by my pool eating dinner after a patio work out, sewing and crafting and hanging with my family and playing so many card games. Being able to start 2 new business was also a huge surprise and something I am thankful and excited for every day!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post 2020 Recap and What I’m Grateful For appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Today I am teaming up with my blogger friend, Shannon, from A Dash of Solt to give our best tips on how to dress preppy on a budget! We met on Instagram and bonded over our love of preppy and classic style, non-traditional decor and we both live in coastal towns! Even though we’ve never met in person, I know we would be lifelong friends and hope to meet IRL one day!!!

Shannon lives in Ohio, loves everything blue and white and brings a fun twist because she has the cutest cold-weather style! Something I clearly lack! Think hunter boots, puffer vests, plaids, blazers. stripes and shift dresses! We both wear our fair share of stripes and you know I will be chatting about stripes in todays post! We’ve been wanting to collaborate for a while, but you know, life got in the way! We finally set a date and knew we wanted to share about a topic we both have lots of knowledge in which is dressing preppy on a budget!

Build Your Wardrobe Staples Up

Every wardrobe needs to start with a good foundation! My style leans more toward coastal and classic with preppy mixed in. You will find me wearing more structured dresses than shift dresses and more plaid than tartan. This list below is similar to a capsule wardrobe but not as restricted. All of the items are meant to be mixed and matched together. Once you have all of the foundational pieces, it makes getting dressed easier then your able to stretch out and add more patterns and one of a kind pieces!

You guys know I love a colorful outfit more than anything. For preppy and classic staples, I love adding colors like navy, red and neutrals like ivory, tan and white. Then as you grow your wardrobe, you can add in prints and more bright colors!

Tops: Neutral cami, Striped t-shirt, Long sleeve t-shirt, Button Down Oxford Shirt, White T-shirt, Long Sleeve Blouse

Bottoms: White Jeans, Dark Denim Skinny Jeans, White High Waisted Shorts, Striped Skirt, White Skirt

Dressess: T-shirt dress, long sleeve striped dress, White dress

Outerwear: Striped Sweater, Neutral Sweater, Denim Jacket, Puffer Vest

Shoes: Ballet Flats, Loafers, White Sneakers, Riding Boots

Where to Shop for Preppy Pieces

Goodness I love to shop! There are so many awesome stores to shop for preppy clothes! Some of my favorites are J.Crew Factory, J.Crew, LOFT and Tuckernuck. The outfit I’m wearing above costs me less than $150! The white skinny jeans were $40 on sale from Everlane, the Sperry shoes were on sale for $50, earrings were $12, the shirt and bag were gifts and the denim jacket is probably 10 years old and only cost me $20.

If you look hard enough and keep an eye out, it’s more than possible to find affordable and quality pieces for really great prices. Gap has really great basics, J.Crew Factory has cute seasonal and striped pieces and you can find all your favorite preppy brands sold at Poshmark for 1/2 the price! Poshmark is also great for finding your favorite preppy looks from past seasons!

Budget Friendly Preppy Brands

• J.Crew Factory
• Old Navy
• LOFT
• Gap
• Poshmark
• ThreadUp
• Sperry

Higher End Preppy Brands

• J.Crew
• Tuckernuck
• Vinyard Vines
• Lilly Pulitzer
• Kate Spade
• Tuckernuck
• Cabana Life
• Talbots
• Banana Republic
• Boden
• Brooks Brothers
• Sail to Sable
• Ralph Lauren

Quality Over Quantity

If there’s one rule to follow when buying preppy clothes, it would be stick to quality clothes vs. the quantity. If you buy a striped top from Target for $10 but it only lasts you 5 wears and then gets holes when you wash it, paying the $35-$50 up front a higher quality striped shirt will be better for you in the long run.

Sometimes you can get a striped t-shirt dress on sale at J.Crew for the same price as a J.Crew regular priced t-shirt dress and the quality will be better and it will end up lasting longer.

Shop Sales

Even as a fashion blogger, I pretty much only shop sales, no matter what! You can get some amazing quality pieces for awesome prices if you know when to hit the sales. Like the Lilly Pulitzter After Party Sale! This sale happens 2x/year and it’s rare because Lilly almost never goes on sale.

J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, Gap, LOFT and Old Navy have frequent sales too! Make sure to sign up for their newsletters to be notified of any sales they are having! The more you shop at these stores, the more rewards you get that can be applied to your order. I’ve been able to get free swimsuits, shoes for $10 and dresses for under $20 with reward points!

If you are super loyal to a store, applying for their credit cards will give you free shipping every time! J.Crew and J.Crew Factory are two of my favorite stores to shop at. I have a J.Crew credit card and I get free shipping on all of my orders, monthly rewards and Birthday rewards!

Shopping in off seasons will help save money too! August/September, January/February, April/May are the best months to buy end of season pieces and then save them for the following year! I’ve done this since I was a kid and it feels like Christmas every time you put on a new shirt, swimsuit, sweater or dress months later!

Use can also ask if they accept student, teacher or military ID’s at the stores I listed above! Most of these stores will give you 10% to 15% off your entire order if you show they the ID!

Total Outfit Price: $203

J.Crew Top – $30.00

Ann Taylor Wide Leg Pants – $40.00

Soludos Shoes – $50.00

World Market Bag – $20.00

Bandana – $3.00

Earrings – $10.00

Necklace – $50.00

The top, pants and necklace are the most pricey items in this list. $50 is the cap for what I usually spend on a top, pants or dresses. It’s what works best for my budget, allows me to buy quality pieces and I can wear them over and over with multiple items! Remember, what you spend on each piece is totally up to you and will depend on your personal preference and budget.

Be sure to check out Shannon’s post all about her take on how to dress preppy on a budget!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post Tips for Dressing Preppy on a Budget appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Eeeek, I’m excited to announce my second official Sunshine Style Co. product! Meet the cutest elastic hair ties ever! They come in pink, yellow and blue at the moment! Now that I feel like I’m in the grove and got the launching process down, I plan to release new scrunchies with different patterns every 2 weeks! Coming up next is hopefully a girly floral print!

Shop Sunshine Style Co. Bow Elastic Hair Ties Here!

My goal with these bows were to add some excitement to an everyday elastic hair tie! If you are not a scrunchie person, these are the next best option to wear something cute on your wrist. I am constantly pulling my hair back during work when I take phone calls and am always wearing a hair tie on my wrist just in case I need one…which is always! You can throw one in your bag to always have a hair tie on hand! The bow just makes me happy whenever I look at my wrist!

Also, I workout at least 2-3x’s/week and live a very active lifestyle. I have been grabbing either a pink, blue or yellow bow hair tie to match my outfit for the gym! They mad me feel extra girly when I am working out and being active! When I’m not working, you can find me at the beach, riding bikes or taking walks outside and I am wearing one of these hair ties!

To make these, I used extra fabric I had from making the bow hair scrunchies! The fabrics are washable and you can also untie them and re-tie on a new hair tie if it stretches out! Did I mention they are only, $4.95!

Shop Sunshine Style Co. Bow Elastic Hair Ties Here!

Thank you so much for all of your support with this small business! I’ve had so much fun planning out new products to make, choosing seasonal fabrics (hello florals and eyelet for fall) and being able to talk directly with you! You are making my dreams come true and I am forever grateful. =)

Which color is your favorite?!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post New Striped Bow Elastic Hair Ties! appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Something I have always been really passionate about are women owned small businesses! Specifically female owned businesses that focus on fashion, accessories and beauty products. As a girl whose always dreamed of owning her own business and recently starting my own, I find it so amazing at all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, the stories of struggle and success and the heart behind why they do what they do.

I love supporting small businesses and always feel so connected to them! When I buy something, it’s the best knowing where the products were sourced from, where all of the profits are going and watching them grow from the ground up! It’s so inspiring! Wearing their products makes me feel proud! Today I thought it would be really fun to show off some of my favorite small businesses, some local to Florida and all female owned!

Sea Marie Designs

This is a new to me business that I discovered on Instagram. Sea Marie Designs sells coastal inspired accessories, bags and gifts like tea towels and napkins . I’m wearing the Traditional Rattan Top Knot Headband in Nautral. They just released the cutest rattan bag with blue and white striped handles that I am eyeing!

St. Armands Designs of Sarasota

Kristina is the owner of this adorable company and they are based in Sarasota, Florida located on the gulf coast. I am pretty much obsessed with everything she sells!!! There is an entire page dedicated to rattan, raffia and bamboo statement earrings. It’s like she designed them for me!

I recently bought the natural lido pom pom earrings from her and they are the cutest earring for summer! So far I’ve worn them during the work week to feel put together and styled them, with dresses and girly tops! You can find St. Armands on Esty here.

The Tiny Tassel

Okay, so Mimi the owner of The Tiny Tassel seems like the sweetest and most joyous person ever! Her Instagram feed is full of color! She makes handmade tassel earrings and her mom designs and sews all of their garments which are insanely well made and beautiful! They are based in Charleston, so it has Southern charm mixed into everything they create.

She basically blew up and experienced tremendous growth when black owned businesses were being shared across the internet a few weeks back. People, The Everygirl, Southern Living, Popsugar and Michael’s to name a few shared her small business. I had followed her for a while and was so so happy to see another female entrepreneur experience rapid and national growth!

Jaye Bird

Jaye is actually my college sorority sister. We met when I was 21 (I think) and instantly became friends. She is the sweetest, most humble and talented artist. After graduating, she followed her passion and opened Jaye Bird, a creative studio that specializes in watercolor wedding invitations and paper goods. When she told me she quit her job and went full-time with her company, I remember being soooo excited for her! My favorite print in her shop has to be the Monstera Leaf Print!

Shore Bags

This is a really new company to me. They reached out to me about a year ago to see if I wanted to shoot some product photos for them and instantly fell in love with their sustainable and coastal inspired brand. The bag above in the Bazaar Tote made from jute and canvas with leather handles! If you have any travel plans soon, they sell amazing travel/weekender and boat bags!

Bess and Color

Last but not least is Bess and Color. I belong to a local photographer and small business group called Tuesdays Together. I met Jessica the owner through the group and she wanted to create a non-toxic, USA made, vegan and cruelty free nail polish brand. All of their colors are super unique and for Christmas my friends and I all gifted each other this nail polish. We have about 8-10 bottles together and share them all. My favorite at the moment is the Zissou Blue Nail polish for summer!

I hope you enjoyed all of these small female owned businesses and have some new favorite e-commerce store to shop! I really enjoyed writing and creating this post. If you know of any other small businesses that you think would make a great addition to this list, please email me at sunshinestlyeblog (@) hotmail (dot) com!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post My Favorite Female Owned Small Businesses appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Another week down. Check. I kind of love reminiscing back on the days when all I had to worry about was what swimsuit I was going to wear, who I was going to hang out with and the fun carefree attitude you have when you forget what day of the week it is during summer. Even though I am still working, I find it so fun forgetting what day of the week it is. Brings me wayyyy back and makes me feel 16 again.

Good thing I remembered tomorrow is Friday (writing this as I watch Below Deck as we speak). These lists are such a fun way to reflect on the week and look for the little joys in life that make me smile. Now that I am thinking of it, I am getting package I ordered tomorrow with a woven headband I have had my eye on. It really is the simple things!

8 Things That Brought Joy This Week

ONE // Nothing is more exciting to me than getting off of work early and going for a swim! On Thursday I finished up all of my phone calls and emails and swam for a few hours then had a pizza night with my family. Best pizza of m life! My little niece and nephew came into town for a few days during the weekend so it was the perfect excuse to catch up!

TWO // 2 for $3 Justin’s Cashew and Almost Butter cups from the health food store. There’s no denying it, I LOVE chocolate with my entire being and if you have never tried this brand, you need to! Originally I went to get more loose leaf tea and was even more excited when I found chocolate on sale!

THREE // Taking morning walks around my neighborhood. On Instagram stories, I mentioned that I had changed my morning routine a bit during quarantine. After I’d sleep, I would wake up, eat breakfast, read my Bible and journal sometimes then start on work until lunch. I knew I needed to move my body beforehand for my own sanity and to feel more productive. Now I take a 15 min walk around my pool or my block and it is just so relaxing to start the morning off right.

FOUR // Shopping for fabric online! Two of my favorite bloggers, Carly and Ashley are putting together an event on Instagram Live on how to make DIY hair ties! I was so excited when I heard about it, I instantly started browsing fabrics and have narrowed it down to a few. Can’t wait to show you all! Little tidbit about me, I was a fashion/culinary teacher for a year and learned how to sew in high school! I’m giddy about putting my sewing skills to use with a fun craft!

FIVE // These striped beach towels that are on sale for under $5. Crazy steal! I am sure they are not the most amazing quality on earth and most likely a little thin yet still super cute! I have some products to shoot for a brand and may buy a few of these towels to add some color!

SIX // Finishing all three seasons of Dead To Me. Have you watched this amazing show on Netlflix?! A recent widow (Christina Applegate) searches for the hit-and-run driver who killed her husband. The shows are each 30 minutes which means you can breeze through a season in no time. It’s filled with both humor and slight suspense. There’s a billion twists and turns and keeps you guessing.

SEVEN // Having a giant group chat with my family. My little niece put 9 of us in a chat and it’s just so funny. My phone had over 75 texts the other day and I am a 0 inbox kind of girl. HA!

EIGHT // My sister sending me videos of the little 3 month old girl she nannies. She has olive skin, dark black hair and her mom dresses her in the cutest outfits with matching headbands. She is such a talker and has a smile that lights up the world. Nothing is cuter than a little babe!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post My Sunny List No. 3 appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Today I am so excited to collab with my friend Caitlin from Lemonade Press and bring you our best tips for clothes shopping on a budget. We both connected on Instagram about 3 years ago because we were both teachers at the time who bonded over our love of classic style and adventure. She’s also a believer and shes seriously the sweetest, most encouraging girl ever!

Originally we had planned on publishing this post in March/early April and then the Rona happened and we held off a bit. Last week I DM’d her and said, “Want to give it a go, I think it’s time!” and she was on the same page. We both agreed it was the perfect time to compile our tips and share them with the world. Now, these are not ground breaking tips, just the simple ways I save money when shopping for clothes.

Have you ever daydreamed about buying whatever you wanted, with no budget and no need to look at the price tag?! This is a slightly embarrassing reoccurring dream of mine ha! There’s really nothing I love more than spending money on clothes. Yet my reality screams, “KT you need a budget girl”. So budget shopping it is.

Compared to the average person, I spend more on clothes a month, although, it’s absolutely not as much as it may look like on here or Instagram. I rarely, eat out (1x/week max), don’t spend much on makeup or beauty products or home decor. If I do have extra money, I choose to spend it on clothes or travel!

7 Tips for Shopping On a Budget

1. Make a List of What You Want to Buy

Before you set a budget, I think the most important part is to plan out what you want to buy. This is the fun part. You can add high and low priced pieces here. When it comes to buying clothes, quality and price are the two most important factors for me. Most of the time, I have a running list in my head or save items on my computer of what I want to buy each month. You can write it down the old school way or create a digital list on your computer or phone.

My Summer Shopping List Example

Long Sleeve Striped Shirt $75

Sandals with Bows – $35

New Running Shoes – $100

High Waisted Swimsuit – $30

Navy Swimsuit – $30

Denim Shorts – $5-

2. Create a Set Amount Of What you Want to Spend

This is totally dependent on your personal income, budget and how much you really want to spend on clothes. There’s nothing worse than not having a plan in life and that is the same when it comes to shopping for clothes.

Right now, my clothes budget is about $100-$150/month. I’ve had seasons where I’ve bought around $200-$250 and times where money was more tight and I didn’t even think of spending money on clothes and focused on just paying the bills. To be honest, I do spent more being a blogger. It’s just the nature of the business and there’s a higher conversion rate if I wear the exact item.

Ask yourself how much you want to spend.

Do not try to keep up with the Joneses here. Everything looks shiny and flashy in the social media world but I am a huge advocate for staying out of debt not matter how fun it looks to wear certain brands or designer clothes. Stay in your budget, live only for yourself and you will be happier in the long run.

3. Only Buy What You Need

RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH

Rarely do I shop without a plan. I research sizes, colors, read reviews online and ask myself all the time, “Do I really need this item?” Yes, sometimes I purchase fun items but it’s usually after buying the items I need like bras, undies, workout clothes, running shoes, etc.

Use your list to shop. If you buy two items in one month and you maxed out your budget, wait for the next month to purchase any more items. This is actually a really great time to practice self control. I know it’s hard but you can do it!

4. Go For The Sales

I am the queen of sale shopping. If the store has regular sales or promotions, I only shop when there’s sales. Signing up for email subscriptions is the easiest way to know when there’s an amazing sale going on. Also, following bloggers and looking at their sale finds is an easy way to never miss a good sale. Most of the dresses I own are well over $100 retail price but I waited and waited until they went on super sale and bought the majority of them for $30!

5. Shop In Off Seasons

Instead of shopping during peak seasons like June for summer or November/December for winter, go at the end of the season. Unless your a fashion blogger or need something really specific, shopping in off seasons will help you land all the best deals. My mom taught me to shop like this growing up and to this day, I still do!

Off Season Months: August/Sept (summer), February/March (winter), April/May (spring)

6. Leave Room for “Fun” or Spontaneous Purchases

Fashion is supposed to be fun. When I was in high school, I remember my mom would give me $200 for back to school shopping and I felt like the world was at my fingertips. Sometimes, I will see something I just love so much, I end up buying it on a whim. It’s pretty rare but it’s so exciting. Planning for spontaneous purchases is much more thrilling when your on vacation or a trip! The only advice I have would be to stay within your means and don’t make risky purchases.

7. Only Buy Items You LOVE and Are High Quality

This is the #1 most important tip. No matter how amazing the sale is, weather you bought the item during off season, how amazing your budget and list is, it’s only worth it if it’s a quality made piece of clothing. Typically I like to feel the item (is it thick, soft, breathable), check for random threads sticking out and look at the tag to see what material a product is made from. Those Chinese websites look cool and flashy on those sidebar Facebook ads like Cupshe and Rowme have very low quality items (most of the time). I’ve bought stuff from there before yet it’s not worth it to me in the long run.

My favorite stores for shopping for quality and classic items are: LOFT, J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, Gap, Old Navy and Target.

Check out Caitlin’s budget shopping tips with the best sites to shop for items on sale, how to find classic clothing that will last and ways to portion out payments for those favorite items on your shopping list.

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

The post My Tips for Shopping for Classic Clothes on a Budget appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Sunshine Style is a labor of love and I love her so so much (if she was a person of course). Back in 2017, I was feeling a tug to head in a little bit of a different direction with my blog. The creative in me got extra excited about choosing a new name. If you have been a long time reader, you might know the reason but for those who are new here I figured…why not share the backstory (again), I have the time right now!

When I re-branded my blog and was deciding on a name, I actually spent a few weeks thinking of the name and actually writing it out and saying it to see if it’s something that would stick. A blog name to me is like a tattoo. Once it’s permanent, you can’t go back! Technically you can reverse it…but it would just take way more work. Changing a URL is seriously NO JOKE!

Dress last worn in this sunny post!

Anyone remember my old blog name?! It was Katie’s Kronicles! People always misspelled Chronicles wrong and never knew how to pronouce it right. It was fine when only my family read my blog but once I realized I wanted to take it more serious, I knew changing it from “Katie” to a more specific name would be so much better.

When I first blogged, it was literally about everything under the sun. There was lifestyle, fashion, food, fitness, faith and just random stuff thrown in and I was the only part that tied all of those categories together. There was a strong pull and tug in my heart to pull away from “me” and focus more on style. I thought long and hard about using my first and last name or middle name but Katie Elizabeth just felt to girly for where I wanted to head and the domain name (URL) was already taken. Little tidbit, if you ever want to change the name of a website, do major research on a domain name beforehand.

Why Sunshine Style?

Years ago an older man at a church I used to work at started calling me “sunshine” every time I would see him. The word always stuck with me because I felt like he saw something I never saw in myself and helped me truly believe it. Once I realized I was actually full of joy and cheery, I knew I wanted to use it as part of my blog name. And the one thing I loved more than being happy and enjoying the outside sunshine was style! So I combined the two things I love. Alliterations have also always caught my eye and they roll of the tongue and are easy to remember!

So, that’s the quick little backstory! The name Sunshine Style is something I know I will love until I am old in a nursing home rockin on a rocking chair. The funny thing is that I always loved yellow as my favorite color but I don’t think I’ve ever worn it more than since changing my blog name. If I was married I might have used my full name but knew in the long run changing that up with my maiden name would get to complicated. If I ever turn my blog into a bigger brand, e-commerce store or brick and mortar store, I just love the name Sunshine Style. It rolls off the tongue, is easy to remember and the brand can grow and evolve 5-10 years down the road.

Right now I know it’s super cool to be an influencer and have everything about “me me me”. Celeberities and many business people are known by their names/brands but that never felt right for me. My *hope* is to one day (in the very distance future), not have to be the entire face of my brand. I love blogging like no other but my heart longs to design and work very behind the scenes as a creative director. That’s why I love Instagram, it kind of fills the gap between brands and their CEO’s/owners. Who knows thought, I’m open to possibilities and opportunities and just enjoying the journey.

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

When you hear or see Sunshine Style, what is the first thought that comes to mind?!

The post The Reason Behind My Blog Name, Sunshine Style! appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.

Quarantine or no quarantine, I am the queen of keeping myself entertained, weather it’s out in public or at home. Boredom is not in my vocabulary. Every week, I have been making a list of fun projects to do besides work, like craft, practice baking a gluten free cake for my Birthday and print cute coloring sheets to do while sitting outside. I love life and I love to have fun no matter what. Right now, you could say I’m living my best life.

I could give you productivity tips, work from home outfits or spring cleaning tips (which I actually plan on doing) but wanted to start Monday off with something more fun and happy for you to do! We all need a little break now and then from the day to day to rest, dream and just relax. I know not everyone has had the easiest time so far and I hope these ideas add a little bit more fun to your day. So far, I wake up, work, do one of the fun things on my list then workout. It’s been amazing!

I’m legit so excited to start the week and do some of these! My Birthday is on Thursday and I plan on baking a bunch for it and making decorations to decorate my porch just because I can! Birthday crafts aren’t on the list but if you have a Birthday during Covid-19, you can add it in!

Use the graphic I made above to share on your Insta stores and tell us what 5 fun things you plan on doing this week!

1. Color with Free Printable Coloring Sheets!

So, as soon as I knew I’d be “safe inside” for a while, I literally started Googling coloring sheets to print. One day I was feeling particularly overwhelmed for no reason (probably to much Insta scrolling). I printed one of my sheets, grabbed my favorite colored pencils and sat outside on the porch to start my first coloring sheet because I knew it would be soothing. If you need a mindless, redudant activity, this is it. I think my family and I sat outside from 6PM until the sun set and I couldn’t see my paper anymore. It’s one of my favorite memories so far since quarantine!

Here’s my favorite FREE printables so far!

Declaration and Co. Coloring Sheets (Florida inspired)

Island Haus and Co Coloring Sheets (Charleston inspired)

The Everygirl Coloring Sheets

2. Make DIY Easter Eggs (without real eggs)

This one will be coming live to my Insta stores this week! Don’t worry, I will make a highlight! I love crafting and this one is perfect for Easter coming up. Now is the time to really be resourceful. Since it would be really wasteful to dye Easter eggs right now, I bought egg shaped cookie cutters to make my own eggs out of salt dough. When you bake it, the dough hardens and you can paint them!

The recipe made about 30 eggs. I plan on painting them this week and putting some in my neighbors mailbox with a happy and Easter-y note on them! I will use the rest as Easter decorations and probably put some in a small basket.

How to Make:

2 cups flour

1 cut salt

1 cup warm water

Bake at 250 for 1 hour, flip and bake for 1 hour

3. Make a Card on Your Phone and Send it To Your Friends!

The app is called Ink Cards. You can create cards from your iPhone or iPad and have them mailed to a friend at home. Another is CardSnacks and they even have silly cards for social distancing that say things like “we will get through this” and friends waving at each other from across the street ha!

I thought this idea was so fun and saw someone mention it in a blog comment! With everyone at home, sending a card is the perfect way to let a friend or family member know you care and are thinking of them! The other day I felt like God kept reminding me to check on two of my friends. When I finally did, I realized they were both quarantined at home alone and actually felt so bad I didn’t listen to my intuition and connect with them sooner. I know if I sent them an e-card to got one mailed to their house, it would make their day!

4. Have An Adult Scavenger Hunt

Hide 10-15 random household items around the house and have your family go and search for them. It’s like hide and seek for adults. Sounds so cheesy but I know if I ended up doing this I would have so much fun and it would probably end up being harder than it sounds.

You could do an Easter Egg hunt too!! Actually, now that I am typing this, I will probably do that haha!

5. Design Your Dream House or Life!

Okay, so this one is supposed to be totally fun and unrealistic! I have a bunch of Coastal Living and Serena and Lilly magazines just laying around the house. The other day I got the grand idea to cut out things I like in them or inspire me and create a “dream house” collage.

My dream house has lots of coastal vibes and is full of color. If you don’t have leftover magazines, you can always print off photos and make an inspiration board. It’s the old school Pinterest way. #throwbackthursday If I get inspired enough, I might just make a 3D model of the front of my dream house. Because WHY NOT!

Lots of Sunshine,

Katie

What are activities you are doing to keep yourself entertained at home? I’d love to add them to the list and share on Insta! Chat with me in the comments! Don’t forget to save the graphic and post to Instagram!

The post 5 Fun Ways to Keep Yourself Entertained at Home! appeared first on Sunshine Style | Florida Fashion and Lifestyle Blog.