i loved kansas city before kansas city was cool and that’s probably why i had so much fun putting this shoot together. i rounded up a collection of my favorite kansas city shirts for the january issue of her life magazine. what’s even more fun is that i got to style the whole shoot too. model harrison quinn brought his own pants and shoes and much of what model paige pelfrey is wearing came from my own closet. one of the first to make my list is raygun. i’ve been buying raygun shirts online for years and i was thrilled when they opened a brick and mortar shop here in kansas city. as a native kansas citian i find that people who don’t live here are often confused by the whole kansas city, kansas/kansas city, missouri thing. there’s no better way to sum it up than with this too much city for one state tee. next up is charlie hustle. if you haven’t heard of charlie hustle, there’s a chance you’ve been living under a rock. paul rudd proudly rocked a charlie hustle shirt when our kansas city royals were in the world series and the kc heart tank i own is a […]
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we are getting really excited for next week’s holiday pop-up shop and we hope you’ll join us. take care of some holiday shopping (and maybe even treat yourself to something nice). want a preview of the amazing vendors we’ve lined up? visit their websites and facebook pages and you’ll see exactly why we are so excited! fitness culture – an incredible new facebook page happy habitat by karrie kaneda website | happy habitat facebook page hello cheeseburger website | hello cheeseburger facebook page maddy nash website | maddy nash facebook page nordstrom beauty stylist sarah dilks facebook page sandlot goods website | sandlot goods facebook page stem hair and body salon website | stem hair and body salon facebook page
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i have to say i’m really proud to be from kansas city. so many amazing things are happening here and some of them seemingly in my own back yard. karrie kaneda, a fellow roeland park resident, is the designer behind happy habitat, a line of eco-friendly pillows, throws and baby blankets. karrie was recently in the running for the martha stewart american made contest so we put together an amazing lifestyle shoot to showcase her products. karrie designs each pattern herself and the products are as luxurious as they are beautiful. her daughter phoebe was the perfect model for our moroccan themed tea party. phoebe and her brother reese loved spending time in the tee pee we constructed with bamboo sticks and some of our favorite happy habitat throws. most of my readers know gina. she’s the incredible makeup artist/hair stylist behind so many of my senior portrait sessions but what they don’t know is that gina is just a good in front of the camera as she is behind it. i’ve wanted gina in front of my camera ever since i met her and i was thrilled that she agreed to model for us. she and her darling kids were […]
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by now you may have seen the september issue of her life magazine featuring the stunning sara cramer on the cover. sara is the designer and creator of the amazing jewelry you see her wearing on the cover. i’ve peeped a lot of jewelry in my day and i’ve never seen anything even close to what sara creates. this is a shoot i was really excited about. one of the things i love most about shooting for her life magazine is that i get to connect with so many incredible kansas city women. sara is a powerful and inspiring female entrepreneurs. it’s so nice to meet other females who are following their passion and making a living doing what they love. we started off at sara’s crossroads live/work studio where brenda watts of double take salon did hair and melissa evans did makeup. while sara was being prepped for the shoot i couldn’t help but gawk at the beautiful collection of jewelry that fills her studio. it’s more than just jewelry – it’s art. art that pulls you in with it’s beautiful patterns, each created by hand. the piece that sara wore for the cover took over a week to produce, each […]
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happy wednesday! as spring is coming to an end and summer begins on friday we would like to share with you a quick tutorial from nordstrom beauty stylist sarah dilks. HOCUS FOCUS | The Style Files – Episode 1 from heather morrow on Vimeo. thanks to our lovely model ashley and to jordan and jon haiduk for all their hard work on the video! and a few behind the scenes shots – doesn’t sarah have the most amazing smile? it’s quite contagious, too. whether you’re ready to update your entire beauty regimen, searching for the perfect fragrance or just a new lip color for a night on the town, call (913) 492-8111 to book an appointment with sarah and know that you’re in good hands! beauty styling is a complimentary service that nordstrom offers so don’t wait to take advantage of sarah’s expertise! you can also stay connected with sarah on facebook and twitter. happy wednesday!
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happy friday everyone! if you haven’t been down to the west bottoms on a first friday event you really need to check it out. for today’s blog post we are interviewing one of our favorite artists—lindsey nichols of lovelies! who are you and what do you do? My name is Lindsey Nichols and I am a graphic designer, collager, vintage collector, and lover of upcycling anything! where were you born and where do you call home? I was born in Prairie Village, Kansas, and have lived in Lenexa, Kansas most of my life. how was lovelies conceived? Lovelies was conceived from my love of taking old and unwanted pieces of furniture and other home decor items, and giving them a new life. how long have you been doing this type of work? I first started collecting things my junior year in college, back in 2010. A good friend of mine, Katie Sallas took me to my first estate sale, and I have been obsessed ever since. how long have you been doing first Fridays events? I have been selling down in the West Bottoms since the summer of 2011. I first started selling at Bottoms Up, when it was only […]
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happy friday y’all! a cold front hit early this week and we were finally able to start wearing those snuggly warm winter accessories. check out our top 10 ways to stay warm and stylish this winter! 1.) you can wear a dress all year long if you throw a chunky sweater over it– just add tights, and a cable knit infinity scarf 2.) as you all know coffee is a must at hocus focus. this coffee cup cozy is hand-knit with a gorgeous cable stitch. 3.) recently i purchased something super similar at madewell – faux, of course. this is an ASOS snood. scarf/hood. 4.) faux fur vest. so cute. brown or black– both chic. 5.) grey/black knit hat with a pop. 6.) long chunky sweaters. totally in. try mixing with stripes and a floppy hat. i just bought an orange one at nomads in lawrence and it’s quickly become a staple of my winter wardrobe. 7.) but how can you text without texting gloves. these happen to be cashmere. 8.) now these are jordan’s grandmas vintage gloves— you can’t go wrong with vintage especially with that gogeous leather. j – if these come up missing, don’t come looking for me. […]
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does anyone even carry a point and shoot camera anymore? i know i don’t. the moment i got an iphone i handed the point and shoot down to rilee. when i’m not shooting clients, my iphone seems to be my go to camera. it’s always with me and i’m able to capture all the details of day to day life. the first photo app i fell in love with was shake it photo and it was amazing. me and shake it…we were pretty tight. and then instagram came along and i was hooked. and speaking of being hooked on instagram, have you seen the college humor parody of nickelback’s photograph? layne and i watched it at the studio. at least five times and laughed harder and harder each time. mostly because we’re guilty of so many of these instagram cliches. this one was taken today. #lookatthiscoffeefoam can i get five likes? five liiii-iiiiikes? couldn’t help myself. i swear. while instagram is only available for iphone and android, you can now follow someone online. check out my instagram feed where you’ll find everything from hocus focus behind the scenes photos to little glimpses of my daily life and those fabulous instacliches we’re all guilty of. if you’re an instagrammer […]
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happy friday! this week’s style friday post is brought to you by our very first guest blogger. we are thrilled to have a local KC group, SE14 take the reins on our first ever guest post and we’re certain you’ll be as smitten with their work as we are! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nice to meet you fashion fans! We are proud to introduce Southeast14. Our brand is dedicated to providing your shoulders and wrists with a beautiful and enduring vessel to store your belongings. All of our purses are original Southeast14 creations. The idea began in a district of London, England, which co-founders, Katy Bird and Genesee Jones spent exploring for almost a year after graduating college. This urban oasis, New Cross, was often lovingly referred to by its postal code, SE14 (Southeast14). Our designs are inspired by culture and individuality and we are dedicated to seamlessly combining the two. A concept New Cross has mastered for countless decades. Check it out… One […]
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while doing some facebook stalking..err browsing, i recently came across the glam bag by ipsy and for a first try i am genuinely impressed. for those of you who are unfamiliar, ipsy was created by michelle phan with the concept to help women find the perfect combination of products to fit their needs. like the birchbox, which i also subscribe to and love (see my birchbox review here), the ipsy glam bag starts at $10 a month. rather than the cardboard birchbox that i usually repurpose or recycle, ipsy subscribers receive small cosmetic bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. you can also explore their monthly videos to learn how to use each product. this was my november “party perfect” glam bag by ipsy. the bag itself is a pretty chic silk brown bag, but what’s inside is what we were all looking forward to. jordan and i dug into the bag today and here’s what we think. the daredevil bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lip gloss was more like a stain. the gloss quickly dried up but the hint of color it left behind lasted through a few cups of coffee… it’s a little dark, but that’s in for fall, right? i haven’t tried the balm’s […]
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