Blog Crush: From Stars to Spikes

(image from From Stars to Spikes)

In my last post I showed you some pinspiration from Sharon of From Stars to Spikes. I've been following Sharon on Facebook for a couple of years now, she's sponsored by Private Gallery, and constantly posts the most incredible outfits! I love her blend of chic and edgy, and her constantly upbeat vibe.

I was so excited to find her blog last week, and look forward to seeing lots more enviable outfits!

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: Courtesy Laugh

(image from Courtesy Laugh)

Amber, formerly of Hello Monkeyface! fame, is truly a one-of-a-kind blogger. I'm not even sure what to categorize her blog as, or what adjective to use to describe her sense of humor, but she has this knack for turning the most mundane, day-to-day things into something worth laughing at. Among my favorites are her "36 Hours" post that over-shares to the point of hilarity, all of her style photos, which are of her lying on the floor, and her series of "I Love My Computer" posts which detail an ongoing love affair with her computer.

Whether you're in need of a laugh or just want to add an intelligent, quick-witted blogger to your blog roll, I suggest making Courtesy Laugh part of your regular required reading. (Alliteration, ahhhhh ... )

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: What I Wore

(Image from What I Wore)

Jessica over at What I Wore is the ultimate style blogger. Her actual occupation is blogging, how cool is that? She keeps it simple with only outfit posts and clothing-related DIYs and doesn't weigh her blog down with recipes or "woe is me" posts (both of which I am guilty of!).

Outfits from WIW are probably some of my most-pinned images, and Jessica is one of my favorite style bloggers to turn to for inspiration. Her style is timeless, she does a fantastic job of incorporating current trends into an already-existing wardrobe, and I'd say that a good 90% of her posts are outfits that I myself would wear!

Most of you are probably already familiar with What I Wore, but if this is your first time hearing about Jessica's blog, I insist you head over there. Now. 

You're welcome.

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: Little Tin Soldier

(Image from Little Tin Soldier)

Little Tin Soldier is one of the first blogs that I started following on a regular basis. Linda's format is simple: One outfit, one photograph, one paper doll at a time. And the paper dolls! She draws them by hand to match her outfits, and they are just precious! I am super jealous of both Linda's adorable dolls and her easy, effortless style. She has a way of putting together simple, basic pieces to create classic looks that I just want to live in.

I get inspiration from Little Tin Soldier on a regular basis, both from Linda's outfits and from her poses, and I hope that now you will, too!

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: A Beautiful Mess

(Images from A Beautiful Mess)

Jessica actually introduced me to Elsie and her beautiful mess, so I hope that she'll forgive me for using her blog as my next blog crush.

I don't think there is a blogger out there (at least not one that I am currently reading) who has a more distinct, personal style than Elsie. A Beautiful Mess is chock full of inspiration, from adorable outfits to tasty recipes to super-cute DIY projects, and every single post is just infused with Elsie's personality. She has managed to essentially turn herself into her own trademark of adorable, vintage-inspired style. Elsie's photos are always bright and cheery, as is her voice through her posts, and I look forward to reading ABM every day. (And I do!)

Whether you're looking for outfit ideas, recipes to try, craft projects, or even if you're on the hunt for inspiration in planning your wedding (hey! I'm engaged!), there's something great to find on A Beautiful Mess. 

So go on, find it!

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: Design Love Fest

(Image from Design Love Fest)

Just two days I go I happened upon Design Love Fest when it was mentioned as part of Kelsey's "Thursday Favorites" over at Snappy Casual. I am still in the process of reading Bri's blog because I am determined to read it start to finish, but so far I am two months in to her daily posts and have been so inspired by the beautiful, creative work that she does.

When I first started browsing DLF I went straight for the style posts and read through all of those. Then I went back to page one and just started reading. Bri has an amazing eye for design that is fresh, interesting and ahead of the trends. I get a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the amazing design I see in blog land may have originated from her brain and been recycled by other bloggers. Bri's use of bright, punchy colors and her upbeat posts have already put a spring in my blogging step, and I have already been inspired to start tweaking elements around here on E&O. I am by no means a trained designer, I have only dabbled in Photoshop and In-Design and the only HTML I know is from tweaking my MySpace profile templates back in the day, but DLF has made me want to keep improving things to the best of my ability and not just settle on a look that's just "okay."

Thank you, Bri, for making the internet a bit more joyful and a whole lot prettier!

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: The Daybook

(photos from The Daybook)

One of the more recent additions to my daily blog reads is The Daybook. I first read about Sydney and her little blog on Boy Howdy Daily (a previous blog crush, what a small word!) and was immediately drawn in by her quirky stories, her accessible style, and the incredibly cute relationship that she has with her husband. I loved her blog so much, in fact, that within two or three days I read it start to finish. (With the help of Elwood, of course:)

Sydney is a new mom and gets to stay home and play housewife all day, but she still has a sense of style that I can relate to and sometimes take inspiration from. Not only do her outfits inspire me, but her relationship with her husband also (sometimes) motivates me to be sweeter to Matt, or to do thoughtful things for him and not always expect him to do thoughtful things just for me. On top of all of that, she's just plain fun to read! I highly recommend paying Sydney a visit, even if just to see pictures of her adorable baby!

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: Sunday Crossbow

(photos from Sunday Crossbow)

As much as we at Elephants & Owls love Kendi, I must say that my [current, though longtime] favorite fashion blog belongs to Emerald at Sunday Crossbow. She is not only adorable, but puts together the most creative and wearable outfits. I've taken a lot of her outfits and worked them into ensembles of my own, and with great success. It was a sad couple of months when she stopped posting at the end of last year, but it's absolutely wonderful to see her again!

Who do you adore? (Besides us, of course!)

--Jessica

Blog Crush: Kendi Everyday

(from Kendi Everyday)

Jessica already beat me to the punch by featuring Kendi as one of her blog crushes months ago, but I really wanted to talk about her as my second blog crush.

First there was Boy Howdy Daily, the blog that inspired me to start style blogging in the first place. But then I discovered Kendi, and things really took off. Not long after Jessica and I started blogging, Kendi hosted her most recent 30 for 30 remix. I took it on only planning to do a 30 for 15 since I was new to style blogging, and brand new to remixing. I ended up completing an entire 30 for 30, and the experience changed the way I get dressed, how I look at my closet, and how I shop. I get so much inspiration from Kendi's outfits, and through her 30 for 30 as well as other words of wisdom she has imparted through her posts I have become less of an impulse shopper, and more of a closet curator, building a cohesive wardrobe that works with me, not against me.

And now she has a boutique and gets to sell clothes as her day job. I hope that someday my days, too, will consist of putting together cute outfits, spending time outside in beautiful scneery with my husband for photo shoots, and then heading off to work at my shop, where I am my boss. Excuse me while I go daydream ...

xo, Kellie

Blog Crush: Boy Howdy Daily

(from Boy Howdy Daily)

Let's take a trip down memory lane for a a moment.

Back in May of last year I was sitting at home in bed, aimlessly watching t.v. and browsing Twitter. Rachel Zoe had tweeted to ask what everyone was wearing that day, and she retweeted a post from a blog. I clicked on the link, ended up on Boy Howdy Daily, and a whole new world was opened up to me. I'm pretty sure I browsed through their entire blog in that one sitting, then promptly contacted Jessica to find out whether she would want to do something similar. I had Elephants & Owls up and running before bed that night.

The idea behind BHD is simple: Three Texas girls take iPhone photos of their outfits and then post them to their blog. I love this blog because the girls are everyday people going about their day-to-day lives and there is nothing high-fashion about them. I have found plenty of inspiration from their posts. Each girl has her own distinct style, too. Jenn has an edgy, trendy look that I adore, but could probably never pull off. Leah has more of a classic style, and often looks like she stepped right out of a J. Crew catalog. I find myself copying her style for work often. Lydia is a teacher and she wears fun, often colorful outfits.

Boy Howdy Daily was my first exposure to style blogging, and I think they were the perfect blog to get me started. My favorite blogs (and I think Jessica's favorite, too) are the ones where the girls are wearing approachable, every day outfits that we can gain inspiration from. I've actually been slowly weeding out the more high-fashion blogs because I can't relate to them.

Without BHD, Elephants & Owls probably would never have come to be, so thanks ladies!

xo, Kellie