Here it begins. My first blog post. I kind of have butterflies in my stomach for some reason.... Where do I begin? I was going to just jump right in with a DIY Hairstyle but I'm thinking you might want to know who the "I" is talking in this blog. So I'm going to start with my background and with the hard to answer question I get asked frequently. "How did you get where you are now". So here it is in a nutshell...

Age 5: Told my mom I want to be a fashion designer. Or a truck driver.

Age 6+: Found my love for the arts!!! Drawing, painting, sculpting, building, dreaming, etc. Here I am making a Boot Scraper for my uncle's birthday with beer bottle caps, a piece of wood, nails and hammer.

Age 8+: My older, wiser sisters started calling me Punky Brewster and would run away from me in public (I'm sure you cannot understand from these pictures) Also found my love for hats that still remains today.

Age 9: Started my own fashion portfolio. All my beautiful drawings (with lopsided boobs, tree trunk legs and huge chins) were kept in an awesome Mickey Mouse Trapper Keeper. I was actually going to create a whole clothing line called "Rose Dust". {Really?}

Age 14+: Would spend HOURS in the bathroom playing with my hair. I was always the girl who didn't look so great at dances all through school because I was too busy "trying" to make all my friends glamorous. Here are my albums I still have of all my work from my beginning years.

Age 19: Went to cosmetology school. I was always the "model" for acne skin for our facials class. Felt like I was one of the patients in Patch Adams (you know, where they talk about your problems like you're not there?!) From that point on, I made a commitment to myself to find beauty in every person I come in contact with and be sure to tell them.

Age 20: Graduated school and opened first salon. Dumbest and smartest thing I could ever done! Failed miserably and hurt some people along the way (learned not to burn bridges!). Not only was I trying to build a clientele but I had to learn how to run a business. I waited tables and bartended to PAY for my salon. I can still remember sitting at my desk with my accountant crying while she tried to teach me. School of hard knocks. Learned A LOT... what to do, what not to do, how to work hard, dedication, so much more. Discovered my LOVE and obsession to run and manage a business.

Age 20-26: Did a lot of "dabbling", made new discoveries and went through some life changing events. Closed the doors to my salon, worked in another salon, moved salon to basement of my house, dedicated countless hours networking with industry pros to become a session stylist, got on with Donna Baldwin Agency, got pregnant from unfortunate situation that set me back slightly, got on with Aquage Haircare as a national educator after pursuing it for four years, had a beautiful baby girl, started & stopped a kids boutique line {on my maternity leave, ha!}, started baking cakes with my mom, moved salon to a loft downtown Loveland with my good photographer friend Christy, worked for MAC Cosmetics and even more!

{one of my first commercial jobs with Donna Baldwin}

{one of my first times on stage in front of a big crowd for Aquage}

{the best day of my life!}

{my days at MAC... the launch of Lady GaGa lipstick}

{Christy & me in our new studio: The Fiery Redhead & Blonde Bombshell}

Age 26-30: Christy and I merged businesses to Sugar Mill Productions and ran an awesome salon & photography studio. I became even more passionate about business, styling, photography and education than when I began! I was blessed to work with a wonderful staff and clients. I made the hard decision at the end of 2012 to close the salon and pass off the business to Christy to simplify my life and spend some more time with my sweet little girl at home.

Present: I am still a national educator with Aquage, style with Donna Baldwin Talent Agency, style hair/makeup/wardrobe for weddings, editorial, commercial, and events, and beauty blog.

Something that is always at the forefront of my mind when I get asked that question, "How did you get where you are now" is:

SUCCESS IS WHEN PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITY MEET.

There are so many areas of success for me... Creating/reaching goals, business, personal, being a mommy, finances, spiritual, etc. I have found success in many areas and continue to strive for success in the areas I lack. There is no "magic pill" achieving success. Currently I believe it's consistent and persistent action, lots of TLC and embracing the moment!

I am excited to start this blog to share my passion and love for hair, makeup, wardrobe and so many other arts! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy creating it!

See you on Friday...

And so it begins...