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It's been four years since our first SMP blog post. Four years, 5,440 posts. One real wedding after another proving once and for all that the beauty lies in the details, that brides of budgets big and small can throw one hell of a party if they are willing to get their hands dirty. And with each of those weddings, our reach has grown and grown. We get over 11,000,000 pageviews a month, over 650,000 unique visitors from countries far and wide, large and small. It's been an incredible journey and one that I honestly thank my lucky stars to have been given each and every day. 
 

But just because we've put our big girl pants on and settled ourselves nicely into the wedding industry, doesn't mean we aren't the same old Style Me Pretty. The kind of place where we blab on and on about pretty things, where you can email any one of our editors directly, where you can contribute to creating a place that is as fun as it is inspiring. So we've decided to take our newsletter a bit behind the scenes and give you a glimpse into the people, the ideas and the excitement that makes Style Me Pretty…oh so Pretty. First up, a fun getting to know you game with yours truly!

My Latest Obsession

Pinterest. There are no words as to just how much I obsess over every perfect little gem of inspiration that I find on Pinterest. It's helping me save all of my must haves for designing our new home, it's helping me stay creative and excited about design. It's giving me fun ideas for entertaining and decorating, blogging and designing. In a word, it's da-bomb. 

Images via Pinterest

My Most Prized Possession

My kiddos of course. Okay, not counting family and friends, it's probably a painting of my grandfather's that captures my mom and her sister while at ballet class and their little brother watching them dance. It's the one material item I would save in a fire and it's been resting against a blank wall in our house for months because I can't seem to find a perfect spot for it. It's love, pure love. 
 

My Favorite Part of the Day
Two favorite parts. When I get to open the windows of my daughter's room and a new day starts all fresh and clean. Made particularly better because of the silly, beautiful grin splashed across Audrey's face. My other favorite moment isn't as obvious. The far too brief wink in time when the kids are both sleeping and my husband and I can crack open a bottle of wine and listen to the peace and quiet of a still house. It's bliss. 

Favorite Wedding Detail
A great dress. For me, it's always about the dress. If there is nothing else but a show-stoppingly gorgeous gown, I'm in. And I don't think that dresses should be understated. I think they should be ruffled and fabulous, full of celebration and style. Because there isn't another day that exists in a girl's life where you can wear a huge, frilly, gorgeous dress and be the complete center of attention. And I love that. 

Image via Pinterest

Must Have Reads
Blogs…I read Young House Love obsessively. Little Green Notebook is also a morning fav. Desire to Inspire always gets me going on design. Erin Ever After is probably my favorite blog and I swear, I'm not just saying that because Erin is an editor at SMP, I genuinely adore her blog. I love, love, love Smitten Kitchen and Sunday Suppers although I'm a lazy cook so nothing actually ever gets made. And so many more that I am always checking in on…A Cup of Jo, Peppermint Bliss (after we featured her wedding and I officially declare her the world's coolest bride), Design*Sponge, Decor8, Oh Joy!, Mrs. Lilien,  and so many more. 


Books…I just finished Olive Kitridge and it was really, really good. Definitely recommend. My beloved grandmother passed away a few months ago (at the ripe old age of 93) and I inherited her little book collection. We had the exact same taste in books, so I trusted her recommendations above and beyond anyone else. And after she died, I could tell which books she loved (no bookmark left behind) and which she didn't finish (bookmark left on page 38 or so). At the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was sans bookmark thus I knew that it was a keeper. And Nana was right. It was an amazing read. 

Best Memory
Someone once told me that the best day of your life was your wedding day. But the most romantic day was giving birth. They were so right. My best memories are the days that my gorgeous children were born. Which might surprise anyone that knows me as I had horrible pregnancies and terrible birth experiences. But it's kind of in the movies. All of that just disappears the moment that you lay eyes on your perfect little bundle. 

Image via Justin & Mary

Guilty Pleasure
The Real Housewives. Beverly Hills blows them all out of the water but I haven't missed a single episode of any of them. Since day 1. 

Favorite Find

The Mrs. Shoppe. A perfectly curated pit stop with a select collection of Mrs. Lilien's favorite finds. Be careful though. You can buy the little gems right there on the spot. Which, for my credit card, is a scary thought.

Best Piece of Advice
Get out there and start doing. I've met so many women who have such incredible business ideas. Such incredible ideas for themselves, their lives and their dreams. And yet they never see it to fruition. I believe that I've found success because I've made huge belly flops and taken so many wrong turns. But because I actually got off my tush and started doing, I eventually found a path that was perfect for me. So girls. My best piece of advice?? Do, do, DO!

So that's me in a nutshell. A really teeny, tiny nutshell. But as the weeks go on, we hope that you'll get to know a little more about me and a little more about this incredible business that we are so lucky to call our own. It's our own little newsletter diary and we promise to jam pack it with capital F-U-N stuff. Bet you didn't know that I was a Texas cheerleader in highschool. Told ya this was going to be good. 

xoxo Abby
Share your style with Laura Jayne and win! Visit Laura Jayne on Facebook, complete the sentence “My accessory style is…” under the Style Me Pretty giveaway post to enter a drawing for a $250 or $150 Laura Jayne Accessories gift certificate. Full details on the Facebook page or LauraJayne.com.  Hurry, ends 4/17!


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