February Instagram Style Party!

Hello, everyone! Today I am so excited to finally announce my much anticipated style project! One of the reasons I started this blog was share my style journey with others and hopefully inspire others along the way. Recently, I've been following Hilary Rushford on Instagram and I feel a renewed vigor to reinvent my style, share this process with you and invite you to do the same!

Which brings me to today's post. I want to jump start my style journey by reinventing my closet. Typically when I think of reinventing one's closet, I think of someone going out and buying a whole new wardrobe-- or at least something involved a decent amount of shopping. However, this recent grad's bank account cannot handle that kind of stress. So I've decided to reinvent the things I already own and this style party helps me to do just that!

Your wardrobe should always make you feel warm and fuzzy. The possibilities should be endless--mixing patterns and textures is my idea of a perfect time! And this kind of bliss should not be held back by your wallet. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh look at the things you have to give you a little pep in your step!

Starting tomorrow, I invite you to join me in rethinking the wonderful things you already own. We all have those central pieces we just can't get enough of. Whether it's that's chic, little black dress or your go to oversized sweater, we all have those pieces we gravitate towards.

But what about those pieces that get pushed around every time we pull out our favorites? I know I'm guilty of constantly thinking I have nothing to wear or fearing that I'm wearing the same things over and over agin. I'm sure I would not have these thoughts nearly as often as I did if I stopped to rethink those left behind! But, girl, I know it's hard to find inspiration in those pieces we see over and over with no hope of revitalization.

This style party is designed to help you rethink what you already have! Whether it's forcing yourself to pick a color you don't usually wear or designing an entire outfit based on one of these themes, you will soon start seeing your wardrobe in a whole new light!





FEBRUARY INSTAGRAM STYLE PARTY RULES:
1. There are no rules
     - Seriously, fam! This party is just that, a P.A.R.T.Y!
       You can do as much or as little as you want. This is completely up to you :)
2. I encourage you to use the wardrobe you have
     - This style party is all about rethinking the things you already own.
        If you find yourself stumped one day, don't automatically run out to pick something up.
       Be as inventive & creative as possible!
3. But, at the same time, if you're particularly inspired to invest in something you've been dying to get your hands on and feel it would be perfect for a certain day, that is totally your call!!
     - You do you, girl!



I will be posting my journey on Instagram for everyone to follow along (@rachellllynn5) and would love if you all posted as well! I'll also be posting to Insta-stories with some inspiration and guidance, so everyone can follow along there for a more personal experience.


Experiencing a day when your outfit is seriously on point? POST IT!
Feeling discouraged? Vent about it!!
Loving how creatively and boldly you've taken on that day's prompt? BRAG ABOUT IT!

I want this to be as interactive and exciting as possible!
Invite you mom, your bestie, your sister-- anyone and everyone.
Style and fashion are many things, but first and foremost they're about having fun and expressing yourself. 


And don't forget to use the hashtag #stylepartyfebruary to inspire others with your fashion!

"Daily inspiration to explore, discover & recreate you."

This has been such a big secret and a lot of planning went into this project & I am so excited to see where this party takes us. 

Happy styling!! 

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat: rgolden75 / Bloglovin'

Modern Box Cut Sweater + Sammy Dress

Happy Hump Day! I hope you are having a fabulous week! On Monday, my immune system decided to grace me with a ridiculously strong cold. That morning I gave myself some Nyquil and proceeded to take a 5 hour nap. (oops) But it did the trick! So now that I'm feeling almost 100% I'm motivated and ready to take on the rest of the week.

With each day we get closer to February and closer to the launch of my new project. Guys, I know I keep teasing you about this launch, but I am seriously giddy with excitemtent. I really don't know how everyone will respond to it (which is hella nerve-wracking), but I think it will be an awesome opportunity to connect with my readers on a more personal level! Get your closets and camera's ready!! 

Speaking of closets, today on RL I'm sharing with you my newest addiction: the modern box cut sweater. 

This sweater was gifted to me by Sammy Dress for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you've been around Rachel Lynn for a while now, you already know that in the winter I live in sweaters. I love them oversized and in every color possible! This oversized lavender sweater is the perfect blend of cozy and chic. I love how it seamlessly integrates the choker trend into the actual sweater! One less accessory I need to worry about, while still staying on trend. The v neck cut is also a playful take on the typical box sweater. I can show a little skin & feel a little sexy without sacrificing comfort (or the ability to hide foodbabies). #priorities And who doesn't love unnecessary zippers? Amiright, ladies! :P  As a side note, I did order mine a size up. I'm all about oversized sweaters and if you're like me I would definitely recommend sizing up. 

This sweater can be worn dressed down for a lazy day at home or dressed up for a shopping trip ino the city. Or, if you're me, you could just wear this sweater for five days straight and sleep in it the other two.  A serious 10/10 in 'comfortable chic'! 

If you like what you see, be sure to check out Sammy Dress!

Online Shop

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Until next time!

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat: rgolden75 / Bloglovin'

Floral Shift + Zaful

 Hello, friends & happy Thursday!

 This dress was gifted to me by Zaful for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

This floral dress is everything.

A little tidbit: when I was home for the holidays I went shopping for this dress. I didn't know at the time that I was looking for this dress, but the second I saw it I knew. I had found a darling black, shift, floral dress last year that I have severely overworn and I wanted to find something similar. And the kicker?? I didn't find this in stores. I went home empty handed.

I couldn't find ANYTHING. I went to all of my favorite stores, scoured the racks and still came up empty handed. It's naturally when you want to spend money and find a cute outfit that you can never find what you want. #firstworldproblems

It was honestly meant to be, though, because a few days later I found this beauty. If I could be a dress, I would be this dress. A floral print with bell sleeves and a cross, lace up front? Perfection, ladies -- p.e.r.f.e.c.t.i.o.n.






But the best part about this dress is how it makes me feel. A dress should make you feel comfortable and confident in your skin. We all know that feeling when you slip on the perfect dress. You don't have to constantly check yourself in the mirror or even think about it at all. All you need to worry about is being in the moment and enjoying yourself.

There is no better feeling than finding the perfect dress. 

Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but the point remains! Fashion is all about confidence and when I find an outfit (or a dress) that makes me feel comfortable and confident I have it on repeat all year. And the same applies for everyone.

When you find something that makes you feel beautiful, it's okay to wear it as often as your heart desires! And it doesn't have to be a dress! It could be your favorite cardigan or that pair of jeans that hugs your curves perfectly or even a scarf that always makes you feel safe. Find new ways to style it, be creative and have fun, because confidence & comfort never go out of style.




So, not only does this make me feel like a million bucks, but this lightweight dress is perfect for any occasion. I've already worn it as a shirt & paired with jeans-- it's thin enough that you can't even tell! I styled this dress (as I often do) with a simple nude heel, but I can see this dress going beautifully with a pair of riding boots. Dressed up or dressed down, I'm all about having a versatile wardrobe and this dress fit the bill to a T!

"Where comfort and style meet the practicality of life." 

Zaful has a ton of cute clothes perfect for any versatile closet. If you like what you see, be sure to check them out at their links below! If I haven't sold you on this adorable dress, they're sure to have something to make you feel confident and beautiful.

Zaful:

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Until next time! 

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat: rgolden75 / Bloglovin'

2017 ~ Don't Quit Your Day Dream

Happy Wednesday! I don't know about your corner of the universe, but Pittsburgh has been feeling a lot like Spring lately. I don't want to get too excited because it is quite literally the middle of Winter, but a girl can dream, right??

If you haven't already picked up on the theme, January's posts have been focused around reflecting on the past year and planning out success in the new year. (or at least that's the goal!) I've been reading up on business plans and sitting in on different webinars to help me formulate my own thoughts to figure out the direction I want to take RL in 2017.

So far this month, I've been making moves to create a more organized blog. Part of that for me includes keeping clear objectives for each day, week, month and quarter. (yeah, I'm hella determined) I've already felt more focused and motivated and really hope that shows in the type of content I'm creating.

Fingers crossed!

So, if you've been around Rachel Lynn for a while now, you already know how much I love setting goals and sharing them with you! I feel so much more accountable when they're posted up for all my readers to see. One of the best feelings is reviewing the previous month and having all of my goals (or almost all of the goals) complete.


This post will give me something concrete to look back on--something I can revisit each quarter to make sure I'm on track. I also love reading posts like these & want to inspire my readers to live an "intention driven life", which is my overall goal for 2017.


Because what this all boils down to is creating the life you want to live. I want to create a life that I will love each and every day & not just the days I have off of work. I want to look back on 2016 and 2017 knowing that all of the hard work was worth it.

#dontquityourdaydream

amiright, ladies?!



Quarterly Goals:

Q1: Refresh & Renew

New year, new blog, who's with me?? In my mind, there's no better way to start the new year than refreshing. The hype of the new year has everyone's head in the "changing" and "revamping" game. What motivation you didn't have at the end of the year has suddenly reincarnated on January 1st.

Crazy how that works!

So I've decided, while I have all of my revamping motivation, to do all of the things I wanted to accomplish *logistically* with my blog but never actually got around to. As you can see, I've already gotten a few of those goals down (i.e. my personal domain name and blog graphic), but there are two more pivotal items I still have to finish off. 2017 is all about making Rachel Lynn more professional!



Q2: Work/Life Balance

One of the biggest failures for me in 2016 was finding a work/life balance. When I graduated, I threw myself into blogging. Which was fine, because, at first, I had all of the time in the world. But I got a job and suddenly I had half of the time I used to but still trying to do the same amount of work.

Not a smart idea.

Now that I know this is a quarterly goal I want to accomplish, I can already feel myself making positive changes this month to bring good work/life habits (i.e. writing posts ahead of time & cutting back on the amount of time I spend on menial tasks). But I still definitely have room to grow. I really don't want to stay up the night before a post should go up working on finishing touches. It's better than waiting until the morning of (like I used to do), but I want to move towards having things all wrapped up and ready to go at least a day in advance.

"Life is a balancing act."

Q3: Scale It Up

This quarter is just what it sounds like. After I have renovated everything that needs renovating and after I have found balance in my work & personal life, I want to focus on scaling everything up. I want to figure out what projects I can dive into that will put Rachel Lynn on the maps.

I already have a project in the works for February (which I am so FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT!), but I want to do more. I want to bring my readers products & take webinars and online classes-- I want to do things take Rachel Lynn to the next level.



Q4: Time to Shine

This quarter is admittedly the least planned out, but it's the one I'm most excited for. This quarter is where I want to take all of the work I've done over the past 9 months and gear that towards starting projects and taking all of the knowledge I've just learned to grow.

This quarter is also the same quarter where my blog started to stumble a bit in 2016 and when I had to take a break. In 2017, I want to have secured a strong enough base throughout the rest of the year to take this last quarter by storm.




wish me luck!

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat: rgolden75 / Bloglovin'

2K16 Instagram Roundup

Hey, everyone! It is once again Friday and I am (once again) wondering how this week flew by so quickly. Things were a little quiet around the blog this week, mainly due to the (extremely exciting) changes. I have wanted a fun, creative header for the longest time. For whatever reason the timing was never right and I kept putting it off. I finally got around to meeting up with a friend of mine to work on what you now see up above.

I can't tell you how ECSTATIC I am about this! It seems like such a small change, but it is quite honestly exactly what I wanted. Simple, to the point, but still fun & encapsulates my taste. She is a god at photoshop!

So while I was making a few color changes to my page, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my own domain name, as well. This was another upgrade a long time in the making! I am so giddy & finally feel like an 'official' blogger.

Riding off of the back of these visual changes, a lot of personal & blog changes happened throughout 2016 that has brought me to where I am today. I like to think of January as the month of reflection. I spend most of the month looking back on the past year, figuring out what I accomplished, what I still need to accomplish and what steps work best to get things done.

While I am very proud of the revamp I did to my Pinterest page, the more coherent writing style I've taken on and the overall professionalism I began to give to my blog, I think the biggest change this year has been on my Instagram.

I've been working for the longest time to create a theme for my IG. Every YouTube vlogger (aka, SarahBelle and Caitlin Bea) & blogger says an Insta theme is a must. At first, things were a little shaky, but after a while (& with the help of a few apps) I started figuring it out. I even gained enough confidence to write my own IG photo editing tutorial!

So, as my way to continue to say goodbye to 2k16 & learn from this year, I've decided to do an Instagram roundup of all my favorite pictures!








Enjoy!

These cupcakes were BOMB & super cute!

The bigger the scarf the cozier the Rachel. 

This was my first photo shoot of 2016.

Right after we had this delicious brunch! 

Valentine's Day.     Kate Spade has the most adorable phone cases!

I have a slight obsession with koozies..

I keep forgetting how long my hair used to be!

This picture starts the beginning of my partnership with Rocksbox. 

#bae

Hilton Head Island

"pink & white" theme

NYC has the best photo spots.

Shout out to my amazing boyfriend, Mason, for always being down for photo shoots and dealing with my pain in the ass self. :P So many of my pictures would not be possible without him. Such an MVP! 

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